Derek Smith, said his step-son, 14-year-old Cory Knox, wants to establish an "Avenue of Flags" at Westlawn Cemetery for his Eagle Scout project.
The flags would enclose the perimeter of the veterans area at the cemetery with Knox actually building the permanent bases for the flags."The base would be concrete placed in the ground with a pvc pipe in it," Smith explained to the council. Those flag bases would have caps over them when they are not in use. They would be set below grade level enabling cemetery workers to mow over them. Another marker would be set near the row of Civil War veterans.
The flags would be five feet off the roadway and spaced about 20 feet between each one.
"They would be placed on Veterans Day, Fourth of July and Memorial Day," he said. When not in use, Smith said the flags would be placed in a protective container and stored at the cemetery.
Smith, an Air Force veteran, said the project is expected to cost between $5,000 to $7,000 with all monies coming from private donations.
"We are trying to give back to the city," he said. I want to instill a sense of patriotism in our young guys."
His step-son has been involved in scouting for the past five years.
"We want to get the VFW and American Legion on board with this. When he (Cory) goes off to college, those would be the men doing it every year."
Smith and Knox can be reached through Thehenryettan.com.