BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The Keystone Heights City Council approved a proposal by Lake Region Kiwanis to display American flags on South Lawrence Boulevard eight days a year.
Kiwanian Keith Hatch told council members during their August 4 meeting that his club proposed lining the boulevard from Walker Drive (State Road 100) to the south point of Keystone Beach Park.
“These flags,” he told council members, “each will be about eight feet tall. They’ll be three by five flags, embroidery flags, not printed flags, so they will be presentable.”
“These flags will be posted about a foot and a half behind the sidewalk,” he continued. “They will not be permanently in the ground. They have three stakes.”
The club member added that the flags posted at his office building, which houses Hatch Realty and Hatch Accounting and Tax Service, are the same type as those with which the club plans to line the boulevard. He said the flags will be displayed for around a week, surrounding the following holidays: Presidents’ Day, Armed Forces Day, Labor Day, Patriots’ Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Veterans Day.
Council member Dan Lewandowski said previous City Manager Lynn Rutkowski tried to get an organization to sponsor a similar project, but found no takers.
“So, this is not a new idea,” he told his colleagues. “I’m really happy Kiwanis is willing to do this because the city staff doesn’t have time to do this, and it will require maintenance of the flags. Where I saw this done previously, I think it was in Baldwin, just north of I-10, and it was beautiful to see the flags, just beautiful.”
Council members unanimously voted to donate $2,500 toward the project.
