Final $3K donated for Freedom Flag project
Final $3K donated for Freedom Flag project
THERESA CAMPBELL | Staff Writer
theresacampbell@dailycommercial.com
The final $3,000 is in for the Freedom Flag to be installed at a Tavares roundabout and city officials credit residents' generosity in supporting the $28,000 project.
A 60-foot flagpole with a 12-by-18-foot American flag is expected to be installed in February as a tribute to veterans while also serving as a focal point for the governmental and judicial center of Lake County.
The large flag will fly continuously and under a spotlight at night.
"We are very excited," Joyce Ross, public communications director for Tavares said Monday, pleased the fundraising goal has been met. The final donation came from a Sorrento family trust.
"The roundabout turned out really nice and we are happy with the construction went and how it finished up and now we're just thrilled with the addition of the flagpole," she said. "The public was real generous with their donations so that we could move forward with doing this rather quickly."
Ross said the fundraising happened quickly.
"Different veterans organizations and business groups got together with the Chamber of Commerce," she said. "It really took on a life of its own and everybody wanted to participate."
The first phase of construction began in August 2012. The new roundabout, part of a downtown revitalization initiative, was designed to help alleviate congestion at the intersection, enabling a smoother flow of traffic once completed.
The idea for the large flagpole came from Chris Thompson, Tavares' public works director, who was visiting Coopersville, Mich., when he noticed in the middle of a traffic roundabout a flagpole with a huge American flag that could be seen flowing in the wind for miles around.
After learning that the Coopersville flag project was funded by community donations, Thompson checked with Lake County officials, who were building Tavares' roundabout, and was told they would change their design plan to accommodate a flagpole if the Tavares City Council gave its blessing to the project. That's because the roundabout at Main Street and Sinclair Avenue was set to be turned over to the city after being completed.
Council members approved the idea in October and the Freedom Flag project was born.
"Before we even finished discussing it at the council meeting, people in the audience were showering out voluntary donations," Ross said.
Thompson was the first to donate to the cause, giving $1,000.
Individuals and organizations that gave at least $100 will have their names engraved on a permanent monument next to the flag, while those contributing $500 or more could have a personal message added.
"We will do an official flag raising," Ross said. "Right now we are waiting for the dust to settle a bit, and we have to go through all the donations to see how many names we have that are going on plaques."
City officials also are in the preliminary design phase for the monument.
"We are determining whether we are doing a flag raising ceremony or wait until we have the monument and do the flag raising and the monument unveiling at one time," Ross said.
Either way, Ross said she expects it to happen next month.
Friday, January 18, 2013 - www.dailycommercial.com/18jan2013free