Thanks to the volunteer efforts of four dedicated folks in our midst, the Town of Silt will have a newly refurbished flagpole in Veterans Memorial Park.
Town Trustee Sam Walls this fall noticed its state of decay and decided it was time for the flagpole to be gussied up. He hatched a plan and approached Town officials for clearance. Walls then enlisted fellow tradesmen Randy Murr of Murr Welding, Ray Cross of Grand Valley Powder Coating and Native American Crane’s Donny Lente to remove and transport the flagpole, refurbish its fittings, fill the holes, provide a fresh powder coating and reinstall it in its base. The work should be finished by Veterans Day.
Originally installed in the mid 80’s, the flagpole had deteriorated over time. The pole served as a sign post at Cecil Carpenter’s Shell station at 8th and Main for many years. Carpenter donated the unneeded pole to the Town to replace an old flagpole in the park. The original pole was included when the park was developed to memorialize those lost to the Nation’s wars. According to life-long local Mary Montover, many of the trees in the park were planted to honor a fallen service member.
Trustee Walls, Murr, Cross, Lente and the Town will be hosting a dedication ceremony for the newly reconditioned flagpole on Saturday, November 14 at 11 AM in Silt’s Veterans Memorial Park complete with a Color Guard, 21-gun salute, a singing of the National Anthem and a presentation on the history of the flag and the Silt flagpole.
Efforts are also underway to raise funds to refurbish the base of the flagpole, which is solid, according to Walls, but lacks the beauty that befits the flag for which it serves. Walls says he hopes to complete that project next summer.
Any questions or comments can be directed to the Town of Silt at 970-876-2353.
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