The Berlin American Legion Post #123 recently provided the town with funding to replace three flag poles at the Main and West streets memorial sites in downtown.
Representatives of American Legion Post #123 presented Berlin leadership with a donation of $7,500 last week to fund replacement flag poles at the town’s memorial plaza at the corner of Main and West streets.
Tara Fischer/Bayside Gazette
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
The Berlin American Legion Post #123 provided the town with funding to replace three flag poles at the Main and West streets memorial sites downtown.
The group presented ‘We Heart Berlin’ with $7,500 for the initiative on Wednesday, June 26, at the site. The nonprofit defines itself as an organization dedicated to promoting “healthy and sustainable activities and to support the creation of and maintenance of recreational opportunities for the benefit of Berlin and its residents.”
Public Works Director Jimmy Charles said the poles will extend 30 feet out of the ground, a 10-foot increase from the current posts. A bigger flag will also be added to the memorial.
Charles maintained the structures will be heavy-duty and made for wind near a coastline. Additionally, the poles’ satin finish will be rust preventative.
“I know you all have been integral in the establishment of the memorial,” Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall said, addressing members of the legion on hand at last week’s presentation. “You have been integral in helping us along the way to make sure we get it right and represent what we should represent. You have been partners since day one, so we cannot thank you enough.”
Since the memorial’s creation, officials have added the Town of Berlin and the Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action flags. The POW/MIA banner, adopted by the National League of Families in 1972, was unveiled in Berlin on Veteran’s Day in 2021 and carries the phrase, “You Are Not Forgotten.” The saying is dedicated to the more than 1,500 American soldiers who have still not been found.
Representatives of American Legion Post #123 presented Berlin leadership with a donation of $7,500 last week to fund replacement flag poles at the town’s memorial plaza at the corner of Main and West streets.
Tara Fischer/Bayside Gazette
Thanks to the additional funding, the new and improved flag structures will now be added to the remembrance area. Charles said that they also intend to add fresh lighting.
“Our goal is to help embellish all the parks in town and this is a park to us,” We Heart Berlin Executive Director Tony Weeg said. “We are beyond excited.”
Recently, the memorial added a wheelchair-accessible entrance to the site. The amendment is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Weeg said that local veteran Mark Bunting, who is in a wheelchair, contacted him and inquired about a ramp so that he and other disabled individuals could fully enjoy the area.
Weeg first proposed the idea four years ago. However, the company Cox Masonry installed the opening earlier this month.
In addition to the memorial’s structural modifications, town officials are overjoyed by its overall appearance and the future. The Berlin Horticulture Advisory Committee has been partnering with the town’s public works department on a multitude of beautification projects at town parks and along Main Street.
“The garden has never looked better,” Tyndall said. “You see the bees, the butterflies. Aesthetically, it looks great, but these flag poles will make a difference in the look and feel of the entry point to Berlin.”