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| Keith Wiedeman shows off the huge flag that he and neighbors on his southwest Greeley cul-de-sac painted on the pavement. |
Posted on 09/28/2001 1:08:54 PM PDT by NorCoGOP
Denver Post Northern Colorado Bureau
--> Friday, September 28, 2001 - GREELEY - Chalk one up for the patriotic little guy.
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"It's not creating a safety problem," said Roy Otto, assistant city manager.
City leaders learned Wednesday that a group of residents in west Greeley had painted the huge American flag on the surface of their cul-de-sac in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
The city's traffic codes, based on the federal manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, do not allow for such non-standard pavement markings, explained Fred Jones, Greeley traffic operations superintendent. That's because such pavement artistry can create confusion - and safety hazards - for drivers.
"It's patriotic, but it's also not something we want to have as a street standard," Jones said.
But city leaders realized they couldn't pave over patriotism without a flap.
The cul-de-sac doesn't have enough traffic volume for the flag to create problems for drivers, Otto reasoned. And it wouldn't be right to steamroll the efforts of neighbors who have banded to show their support for a nation in crisis, he said.
So he and other city officials decided not to fine the patriotic painters and not to sandblast the flag from the asphalt, Otto said.
"That's probably the way it should have turned out," Keith Wiedeman, 51, a retired schoolteacher who helped with the project, said Thursday as he gazed at the bright flag that nearly fills the cul-de-sac.
There is barely enough pavement space around the flag for cul-de-sac dwellers to drive around it. But neighbors avoid driving over the flag - the very issue that city officials said can create troubles on more heavily trafficked streets.
The painting project began when a dozen neighbors in the Virginia Hills subdivision wanted to display their feelings for the nation, but couldn't find American flags at any store in town, Wiedeman said.
So a neighborhood kid broke out the sidewalk chalk. Soon home-improvement buffs on the block were setting straight lines with construction chalk, finding star stencils and running to the hardware store for red, white and blue paint. The close-knit neighbors on 22nd Street Road used nearly 7 gallons of paint for their project, finishing the work last Saturday, Wiedeman said.
The flag - notable for its size and symbolism - became the talk of the town after the Greeley Tribune reported that it flies in the face of traffic codes.
The flag has since drawn onlookers and has even become something of a tourist attraction, as retired Navy man Byron Murray of Tennessee proved when he stopped by for a look Thursday.
"I think it's outstanding," said Murray, 64, who was visiting family in Greeley. "Our country has come together more since Sept. 11 than I've seen since World War II."
Some city officials admitted they admire the flag, too. But they don't want to encourage other pavement artistry that could disrupt traffic.
"We don't want copycats," Jones said. "If additional people do that, we probably will have to take enforcement measures. They could be held liable for the removal and restoration of the asphalt surface."
It's a freakin' cul-de-sac fer cryin' out loud!
Too many laws and TOO many LAWMAKERS!!!
FMCDH
The authorities seem to have come to the same conclusion what's yer beef ?
Well someone is paying attention.
I recall some Freepers rightfully concerned about residents driving on the flag. I'm glad to hear they aren't.
I recall some Freepers rightfully concerned about residents driving on the flag. I'm glad to hear they aren't.
No real surprise that it was painted in the first place, though. This is Greality, after all!
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