Albion wants to add flagpole, sandstone for new war memorial
Photos by Tom Rivers – This metal sculpture of a battlefield cross was added in front of the Albion Town Hall last May. It is pictured at about 8 p.m. today after the Town Board meeting on Clarendon Road.
ALBION – Town officials are looking to add a small wall of Medina sandstone by a war memorial, along with a new flagpole with a POW/MIA flag.
The Town Board this evening authorized spending up to $400 for a new 25-foot-high flagpole with a POW/MIA flag. The memorial – a metal sculpture of a battlefield cross – was added last May.
Jeff Benfer, a local welder and artist, created the sculpture as a donation to the community. The pieces were all cut and shaped by hand.
Town Board member Jake Olles and other board members want to add to the site. The town has secured sandstone blocks for the wall that should be added this summer.
The Town Highway Department will put in the foundation for the wall.
Estimates for the flagpole are $315, with a flag costing $35. The POW/MIA flag will be lower in height than an existing flag pole with an American flag.
Highway Superintendent Michael Neidert said the second pole will “tie the memorial together.”
The American flag by the Town Hall is pictured at 7 p.m. this evening.
