The construction of what was supposed to be the highest flagpole in the world has been pushed back – again.
In response to a plan for a flagpole taller than the Empire State Building that would also have an observation deck and a flag larger than a football field, the teeny-tiny town of Columbia Falls in Maine has decided to prolong the moratorium it has placed on major construction projects by an additional six months. An auditorium, living history museums, and a monument are all components that are expected to be included in the attraction.
The town officials said that they did not have the necessary laws and regulations in place for such a massive undertaking.
After Morrill Worcester proposed a structure with a height of around 1,461 feet (445 meters), the town of 485 residents started having trouble complying with its zoning restrictions. Wreaths around America is a charity that Worcester’s family started that distributes holiday wreaths to military cemeteries around the country. Their family also runs a business that makes wreaths.
In March, people of Columbia Falls, Washington cast their votes for the adoption of a six-month moratorium, which will provide local officials with time to establish restrictions. On Monday evening, all three members of the Select Board agreed, in a unanimous vote, to maintain the moratorium. A member of the Select Board named Jeff Greene reported that town authorities are making work on new ordinances during the weekly public proceedings.
“The first one hundred and eighty days were not sufficient time to polish and finish this,” he stated.
There was no quick statement from the Worcester family over the extended delay of six months.
The idea for the flagpole is intended to bring people together through their shared love of the flag, tell the history of the United States as seen through the eyes of veterans, and generate employment opportunities. The Worcester family runs a patriotic business, which involves the annual production of more than one million balsam wreaths for veterans’ grave makers, and this endeavor represented an expansion of that business for them.
On the other hand, it served to further polarize the community. Some locals have expressed concern that the proposed development would have such a profound impact on the natural landscape that the area is famous for, including its rocky coast, woods, and blueberry barrens.
