Tattered flags concerns councillor in BV

Eganville – Bonnechere Valley Councillor Tracey Sanderson is hoping Canadian flags in the township will be kept in better repair and replaced when they are in poor shape.

The issue has been a recuring one, she told council last Tuesday afternoon, pointing out a major culprit was the flag at the water treatment plant. This was causing a lot of concern in the community, she added.

“I did not realize it was not operated by the township,” she added.

She said she understood the need of having a boom truck to replace the flag, but this is a constant complaint.

“The one at the water treatment plant was in tatters - a dishrag,” she said. “Given that we have all of these banners up now acknowledging our vets, we need to make sure our flags, in my opinion, are up to standard, up to snuff.”

The flags need to be changed on a timely basis, she said.

“I agree, but the program is that people email or notify us,” Mayor Jennifer Murphy said.

Would there be a second source to deal with this, she questioned.

Recreation Manager Kevin McGrath said while there are other sources, the individual the township uses has been very good to the township.

“It is a matter of a phone call and he helps us out,” he said, adding more recently that person had back surgery so there was a bit of a delay.

“If the individual we are using is local, I would not want to go outside (the community),” Councillor Merv Buckwald said.

Coun. Sanderson said having a backup is a good idea.

“We have many vets in the area,” she said. “To have a tattered flag is very upsetting to them.”

Mayor Murphy said the current individual “has been extremely good to us.”

Mr. McGrath said some of the flags were being replaced shortly and he would make sure all the flags were looked into.

Debbi Christinck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eganville Leader