Update on damaged town flagpole

Progress is being made to replace the Town of Thermopolis’ flagpole that was damaged by a windstorm on September 9. The damage prevented town officials from lowering the flag in recognition of September 11 and the town is unable to fly flags. 

They received assistance from the Thermopolis Fire Department, which is the only entity that can reach the top of the flagpole, to take the flags down and survey the damage.

The pole’s metal is bent and has broken welds. It is not repairable with a load bearing weight on it and therefore it has to be replaced. 

Weather services officially declared the wind event for insurance purposes. The town has been waiting for the insurance approval, which arrived on Friday, November 1. Also, they have received an invoice for the flagpole replacement from Western Flag & Banner out of Laurel, Montana, to move forward. This vendor will come to Thermopolis and remove the damaged pole and install the new one.

The cost for the new flagpole is almost $27,000 and insurance is covering about 90% of the fees. The date for the replacement is to be determined. 

The new flagpole will be 60 feet high, which is lower by 20 feet compared to the old pole.