Puyallup to build $150,000 American flag near council member’s business
A majority of the Puyallup City Council approved $149,775.40 to go to the installation of a 100-foot American flag and flagpole Tuesday night during a contentious meeting.
The funding approval for installing the flag is part of the America250 program, which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The leadership for America250 included U.S. representatives and senators. Some members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet are also part of the organization’s leadership.
The motion to approve the funding for this flag was passed four to three. About five residents spoke out in support of the flag being installed, and about 10 residents spoke in opposition. Council members Dennis King, Jim Kastama, Renne Gilliam and Deputy Mayor Dean Johnson voted to pass it. Council members Lindsay Smolko, Lauren Adler and Mayor Ned Witting rejected it.
An amendment that King put forth was also approved for the city to seek private donations to offset the costs. The city would still pay for the installation. Johnson proposed that the ribbon cutting and first raising of the flag take place July 4.
City spokesperson Eric Johnson told The News Tribune via email that, since the flag has been approved, the city needs to draft an agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation’s contractor, Atkinson, to do the work.
“Once the agreement is signed, then they will start working on the project. I believe they said a six-week lead time, which means it will be installed before the Fourth of July,” Johnson told The News Tribune via email.
King introduced the concept of this flag and flag pole during a city council retreat in February.
“The America250 Memorial flag project is about remembrance, gratitude, patriotism. The proposed flagpole is intended to stand as a lasting tribute to those who have served this country with honor. This is not a political statement. It is a statement that Puyallup remembers,” King said during the May 5 meeting. “I‘ve heard some attempt tonight to frame opposition around affordability, but respectfully, this project is not why housing costs are high, not why groceries are expensive.”
City staff coordinated with the Washington State Department of Transportation on this project, city manager Steve Kirkelie said during the meeting.
Funding for the flagpole will come from the city’s Tier 3 funds, which is excess revenue that can be used for one-time capital projects, Eric Johnson said. The $149,775 cost includes installation, the flag and pole.
The flag and flagpole are proposed to be located on North Meridian between Fred Meyer and the KING Family Fun Center. The website of the center says King owns the business with his wife, Melinda.
Resident Joseph Columbo noted during public comment that the flagpole is proposed to be close to “King’s putt putt.”
The News Tribune has reached out to King for comment about the location and its proximity to his business.
Kirkelie said the base of the flagpole would have a plaque commemorating America’s 250th anniversary.
Witting said the location would be a safety issue, and that it would be difficult for the public to go up to the pole and read the plaque. A conceptual rendering of the flag shows it in the median of the highway.
Witting also said he did not like the idea of using tax money, which he referred to as sacred, for this project.
“And I think that we as a community can privately fund this, this flagpole, and I would invite all of us here tonight to consider ourselves patriots, to step up and contribute to this,” Witting said before saying he would chip in a couple hundred dollars.
Smolko said she agreed with a resident who said that the current proposed cost does not include the ongoing costs of flag replacement, lighting maintenance and repairs.
“I’m not opposed to celebrating America. I teach American history every day. I’m opposed to this price tag when our community has unmet needs,” Smolko, who is a STEAM specialist in the Bethel School District, said.
‘Performative patriotism’
Residents who spoke in opposition to the 100-foot flagpole agreed on one thing: they support veterans, but not the use of taxpayer money for an almost $150,000 flag.
Tammi Borushko told the council the city has problems that the city could address using the money that will go to the flag. She cited examples such as addressing traffic safety on Canyon Road, or supporting the Puyallup Food Bank.
“Spending this type of taxpayer money on a project like this is nothing more than performative patriotism,” she said.
James Steves, an Air Force veteran, told the council that veterans need more than a flag.
“We need our veterans taken care of,” he said. “... If you say yes to this, you’re telling every single one of our veterans in this beautiful, beautiful city of Puyallup that you don’t care about their needs.”
Pierce County Council member Paul Herrera, a combat veteran, spoke in favor of the project. He acknowledged the high cost of installing the flag and its maintenance. He said he supports the installation of the flag, and that he hopes the council can “get this across the line.”
“I hope we can yes for the flag, say yes for Puyallup and say yes for America,” Herrera said.
Heather Kagele Schiller, a Puyallup resident who said she could not attend Tuesday’s meeting in-person, told The News Tribune via Facebook Messenger that the flagpole is a clear example of misplaced priorities.
“At a time when Puyallup faces real needs — like infrastructure, traffic safety, and housing — moving forward despite public opposition undermines trust and gives the impression that council is putting personal agendas ahead of the community they represent,” she said.
