The flag will keep flying at the old Coca-Cola plant location, according to Monticello Mayor David Anderson. Originally, there was concern when the real estate arm of Wal-Greens informed the city that they had a deadline to remove the large flag pole at the corner of Highways 278 and 425. However, after a meeting with Anderson, Congressman Mike Ross committed to making some phone calls to the Wal-Greens corporation on behalf of the city.
“As a result of those phone calls, the flag will be staying,” Anderson related. “Wal-Greens called us and were very cooperative and said they wanted to be community-minded and patriotic. They saw no reason to move the flagpole at that point.”
The large American flag can be seen from numerous points throughout the city. At times, there is no flag present on the pole, which causes concern. Anderson related that during such times, the flag is probably being repaired. “Those flags are very susceptible to damage and tear easily,” he said. The city has 3-4 flags on hand at all times, either flying or being resown. The flags cost approximately $2000 a piece.
A new flag was purchased for the Babe Ruth World Series in August, but it is currently being resown after sustaining some rips. “The flag will be back up as soon as it is repaired,” Anderson said.
