BARRHEAD - The now-empty flag poles at Memorial Park will soon fly two Canadian flags along with those of the province and the town.
That was the decision Town of Barrhead councillors made during their May 13 meeting.
The flag poles have been naked shortly after Barrhead residents voted in favour, 653 to 492, of the Neutral Space Bylaw in a town-wide plebiscite on Dec. 2.
The bylaw prohibits "decorative crosswalks" on town roadways, restricting them to the conventional white stripes bordered by two white lines. The bylaw also limits the flags allowed to be flown at municipal facilities and flag poles to national flags and the Alberta provincial and Town of Barrhead flags.
Before the municipality enacted the bylaw on Dec. 16, the Canadian, the Alberta, the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Red Ensign flags were on Barrhead Memorial Park's flagpoles.
While only the Red Ensign and the Royal Canadian Legion flags needed to come down, Royal Canadian Legion members Herman Barkemeyer and past president Chuck Mortimer told the Barrhead Leader in January that they were so "pi#$ed off" they removed all the flags.
Chief administrative officer Collin Steffes said that since the removal of the flags, he has had several inquiries, from council and the public, about what the municipality would do at Memorial Park regarding the flag poles.
"It would be quite simple if we had only three flag poles. We would have the Canadian, provincial, and municipal flags," he said.
However, Steffes said, the additional flag adds some complexity.
"There is a national standard for the placement of the Canadian flag, which requires that when you have more than three flags in orientation, a monument, it has to be on the left side," he said.
Steffes said the municipality has multiple options; the first option he offered was to have two Canadian flags starting on the left, followed by the provincial and municipal flags.
Another option, he said, was for the municipality to remove a flag pole and reposition the remaining poles for symmetry and display the national, provincial, and town flags.
"If we went down that route, we would offer the extra flag pole to the Legion, allowing them to fly their flag as well as the Canadian flag," Steffes said.
Coun. Dave Sawatzky said he preferred three flag poles because, in his opinion, it "looked sharper."
He also asked if the Canadian flag had to be higher than the rest.
McKenzie said, no, echoing Steffes' previous comment that it was about positioning.
Coun. Klumph said, quoting a comment he received from a resident, that it would be "stupid for [the municipality] to remove a flag pole [from the park]."
Coun. Ty Assaf agreed with the resident's comment, saying the easiest and safest thing was to keep the fourth flag pole and add another Canadian flag.
"In two years, we could have a bylaw come through, once again, that could have another outcome," he said, adding that removing the fourth flagpole comes at a cost.
Coun. Anthony Oswald said he also preferred the three flagpoles, adding that the costs of moving the poles would be minimal.
He added that the flagpoles are held in place with a small concrete mounting base.
"We could put something around it to prevent it from being a tripping hazard, and it can always be reused if something changes," he said, adding that the town could store the extra flagpole at its public works yard.
Mayor Dave McKenzie said the concern about removing one of the flag poles isn't so much about the cost, but that they would no longer be symmetrical.
McKenzie added he knew the Legion had preliminary talks with Freson Bros. management about the potential of having the flagpoles moved to the greenspace adjacent to their parking lot and across from Memorial Park.
"Which would allow them to put [the Legion and Red Ensign] flags back up," he said.
Legislative services, economic development and planning director Jenny Bruns said, according to conversations with Freson Bros. and the town's mapping, the area from the edge of the grocery store's parking lot to the sidewalk is public land.
Klumph closed the discussion, moving to fly two Canadian flags at Memorial Park, alleviating the need to remove a flag pole. The motion passed unanimously.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
