County committee hopes to raise flag at mall
If all goes as planned, Fayette County soon will have a new monument to be proud of. The Fayette County Flag Committee has raised about $30,000 and hopes to erect a 120-foot galvanized flagpole at the Uniontown Mall this spring, according to committee President Dale E. Coughenour.
Coughenour said a 30-by-60-foot American flag will be displayed on the pole.
“It will be beautiful,” he said, noting that the committee hopes to build a monument around the flagpole.
The cost of the entire project is estimated at $230,000, which means the committee is about $200,000 short of money.
“I’m confident the rest of the money will come in,” Coughenour said, saying an unidentified benefactor has expressed an interest in donating some of the needed money.
Coughenour said the committee was formed about five years ago, and that he never thought it would take this long to accomplish the project.
“I hoped to have it done 41/2 years ago,” he said. “Hopefully, this spring, once the weather breaks, we’ll get it done as quick as possible.”
Coughenour said the committee has had to overcome several obstacles in the last several years that slowed the project down.
The committee, according to Coughenour, originally planned to have the flagpole monument constructed at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
However, talks with campus officials stalled, and the committee decided to relocate the monument to the field adjacent to the Uniontown Mall, next to the Sears entrance.
After getting approval from mall officials, Coughenour said ownership of the mall changed and that the committee had to get approval from the new owners.
Despite the inconveniences, Coughenour said the project will go forward.
“It’s just taking time, that’s all,” he said.
Coughenour said the committee is trying spend as little money as possible and that engineers and geologists have volunteered their time to draw up the plans and conduct needed studies.
“When you have people volunteering their time, you have to let them work at their speed,” he said.
“We’re trying to make it happen as soon as possible,” he said.
Although the project is five years in the making, Coughenour said the money already donated is still in the bank and is being handled by a certified public accountant.
“All of the money is still there and will be used for the monument,” he said.
Anyone interested in donating money or learning more about the project can visit the Fayette County Flag Committee Web site by going to www.support-flags.com. Photographic renderings of the proposed monument can be seen at the Web site.