By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Banners honoring military service veterans are still on track for downtown Decatur next year, and there could be a few more than originally planned.
The local Antoine Rivarre DAR chapter is handling the project, and city Community Coordinator Jamie Gephart told city council at its latest meeting that the group has 34 to 36 applicants.
When the DAR chapter first approached council about the idea in September, it was said that 30 banners would be hung, corresponding with the number of brackets existing on light poles. Since then, though, the chapter has found a donor who will enable it to purchase a few extra brackets.
The Decatur Main Street group’s design committee has approved the design of the banners, Gephart said. That committee handles such chores for the city.
Council has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Rivarre group.
The idea was brought to council by Carol Riley, chapter vice president, and Louann Bultemeyer of the local chapter.
The banners will go up on First, Third and Monroe streets in the downtown area. None will be hung on Second St. downtown as council reserved that area for various seasonal activities to be highlighted.
The banners will be hung the day before Memorial Day next year and remain up through Veterans Day (November 11) and until around Thanksgiving.
The Rivarre chapter will handle all aspects of the project with no cost to the city nor paperwork nor liability. City employees will place the banners on the poles and take them down.
Families purchase the banners for $100 and take possession of them after they are removed. The banners will have the vet’s name, photo, branch, rank and more (see photo).
The DAR chapter will handle marketing, but since it is a 501c organization (tax exempt), it is prohibited from doing social media sales or advertising.