Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Veterans Banners topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Iowa Veterans Foundation outlines plan for honor banners along Veterans Memorial Highway
Summary
Iowa Veterans Foundation told the Pottawattamie County Board it has raised about $15,000 toward 50 banner brackets and 100 veteran banners to be placed along Veterans Memorial Highway; the group asked the county to clarify installation, ownership and maintenance roles.
The Iowa Veterans Foundation presented plans to install honor banners along Veterans Memorial Highway in Council Bluffs-area corridors, seeking to place about 50 double-sided brackets and 100 banners between South 24th Street and the Market/Metro Drive area. "We have around $15,000 right now for the brackets," said Ellen Way of the Iowa Veterans Foundation, who explained the group is fundraising and getting permit approvals from the Iowa Department of Transportation and an endorsement from the City of Council Bluffs.
Way said the banners would display a veteran's photo, name, rank, branch and dates of service to comply with the DOT permit. The foundation plans a rotation schedule so banners are taken down seasonally and returned to the veteran rather than left indefinitely: "These banners are owned by the individual that purchased them…there'll be up for a certain period of time taken down and…given back to the veteran," she said.
Board members asked practical questions about pole ownership and liability; Way clarified that the light poles are owned by the city but the highway is a state facility that requires DOT permission. The foundation said it will work with public works (Matt Cox was named as a staff contact) on a bracket prototype and contract with local sign companies for installation and maintenance. Way said estimates put banner life at three to eight years depending on exposure and whether the banners are removed over winter.
No funding decision was taken; Way said she had submitted a $5,000 funding request form to county staff for future consideration. The presentation closed with the group asking the county to help coordinate final installation steps while keeping ownership and maintenance responsibilities with the foundation and contracted vendors.
