Banners honoring veterans discussed
Township open to adding ‘Hometown Hero’ banners in Parkside Place complex
UPPER GWYNEDD » Decorative banners honoring veterans could be coming to a fourth area community soon.
Upper Gwynedd could soon take part in the local “Hometown Heroes” program of decorative banners for veterans, starting at the township administration complex on Parkside Place, and could expand depending on demand to the West Point village area later.
“You’ve seen these in North Wales, in Lansdale. Here in Up-
per Gwynedd, we don’t own the (utility) poles, and the poles we do own are scattered around the township at intersections, and they’re sparse,” said Township Manager Len Perrone.
“These would not achieve anything, by scattering one here and one there. But where we do have poles we own are right out in front” of the township municipal building, “along Sumneytown Pike and Parkside Place,” he said.
Decorative “Hometown Heroes” banners have been displayed in Lansdale starting in 2016, and show a photo of a local soldier, with his or her era and branch of service, superimposed above a stylized American flag. The initial proposal in early 2016 was to hang 48 banners showing local veterans, but huge local interest led that program to grow to more than 400 by the end of 2016, and the number in Lansdale was capped at 500 banners for 2017.
Since then, similar banners have been hung in Hatfield Township, at that township’s municipal complex, and in North Wales Borough along Main Street and Walnut Street, and Perrone told Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners Tuesday night that their town could be next, in limited areas.
“We know we’ve got 32 poles here. You can get 64 of these (banners) right here on Parkside Place, because you could put double banners — put them on both sides of the pole,” he said.
“The only thing we have to do is to provide the hangers, the hardware” for banners to be mounted, “and we would put them up, we would take them down,” Perrone said.
Under the program rules in the towns where banners hang now, those who take part pay the local nonprofit that runs the program for a one- or two-year commitment, then would keep the banner when that period runs out, and can renew for future years. Banners are typically hung by the municipality’s Public Works staff on or around Memorial Day in late May, and are kept on display until Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
Could utility poles in the West Point village area, where sidewalks have recently been reconstructed as part of a federally funded streetscape project, be included too?
“I don’t recommend them there, because they are lower and much closer to the street. These poles (at Parkside Place) are much higher, and would be above any car or truck line,” Perrone said.
“The ones out there (at West Point), you’ve got sidewalks on one side and the traffic lane on the other. I would not recommend putting them there at all. If you put them on West Point Pike, and you get a tractor trailer coming through, he’ll take them all out, since those poles are not that high,” he said.
Solicitor Dave Onorato suggested banners in the West Point area could be placed running parallel to the roadway instead of perpendicular, to minimize the risk of banners being hit by passing vehicles, and Perrone said he and staff would look into that possibility.
The township could publicize the program through its social media channels and newsletters, and Onorato said he has noticed the banners themselves tend to be their own best advertisement.
“Once the first batch goes up, you don’t need any more advertisement. That’s all the advertisement you need — it just took hold in Lansdale,” he said.
All five of the township commissioners said they supported allowing the banners on the township property, and Perrone said he would contact the local organizers of the program to let them know the township wants to proceed, and the township will publicize details once finalized.