Highway 50 flag gets OK but at new location
The BLM on Friday informed Bill Babbel that it had approved a right-of-way permit for the flagpole on the east side of the highway, on BLM land not far from where one now flies near the landmark “Christmas tree” blue spruce along the highway’s west side between Grand Junction and Delta.
The newly approved location wasn’t Babbel’s preferred location; he’d sought to replace the current one with a taller flagpole at the current site.
But at this point, Babbel indicated that he likely will take what he can get by accepting the permit, and he is wasting no time moving forward on his flag project. As soon as he was notified of the BLM approval Friday morning he began speaking with a friend who is a metal fabricator to begin planning for the construction of the new pole and its installation.
“I don’t put anything off. Once I talked to those (BLM) guys … I went over and talked to my buddy about building something. It probably won’t go up until spring, but we’re going forward,” he said.
The BLM decision culminates a multi-year endeavor by Babbel to improve on the situation involving the current flag along the highway.
An Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam, he has given away or installed hundreds of flags and flagpoles. In the case of the Highway 50 flag, he wants to install a taller pole so the flag can be lit with solar lighting at night while being less susceptible to vandalism. While people have tried to light the current flag, Babbel says at times the lights have been stolen.
The current flag flies near a tree that’s part of a storied history dating back more than a half-century. It’s the latest in a succession of trees that began with a juniper tree relocated to that location when the highway was repaved and rerouted.
The flagpole location’s history is more recent. The BLM has indicated it may have been erected within the last 10 years, though it’s unclear because it never went through a permitting process.
The agency plans to remove the existing flagpole once Babbel has installed the new one. Babbel believes the existing flagpole is older than 10 years, far predating the creation of the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area in 2009.
The flagpole sits just inside the conservation area’s border along the highway, while the newly approved location is outside the area.
BLM spokesman Eric Coulter said approving Babbel’s flag proposal within the conservation area would have required amending the area’s resource management plan, which would have entailed a public process and could have been pretty costly.
He said the BLM undertook a fairly involved process by considering multiple locations in that area before approving the permit request and looks forward to working with Babbel as he moves to get the new pole erected.
“We were glad to finally be able to kind of come to a resolution and be able to fulfill the request,” Coulter said.
Babbel said the BLM had offered the newly approved location before, but he turned the agency down because he wanted to continue to fight for the location near the tree.
“They’re never going to give in to that so this is all I can get, I guess,” he said.
By Friday he already was talking with his friend about a pole that would include a tilt base allowing the pole to be lowered to a horizontal position to change the flag, rather than having to raise and lower the flag with a rope and pulley.
The pole will have a locking mechanism, and Babbel plans to provide the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion keys so they can change flags.
Asked whether he viewed the BLM approval as a Christmas present of sorts, he said with a laugh, “Yeah, pretty much — an expensive one.”
He said the 20-foot pole probably will cost $1,000 or more. Also, the BLM right-of-way permit includes a one-time fee of $459 and an annual rental fee of $247.
But Babbel is used to spending more money than that pursuing his passion for installing flags.
“I probably spend $6,000 or $8,000 a year on flagpoles that I put in people’s yards so that’s not a big deal,” he said.
He said people also donate money toward his efforts even though he doesn’t ask for donations.
Babbel said he gave away some 300 porch flagpoles in the Orchard City area and received almost $1,000 in unsolicited donations.
He likewise expects to receive contributions for the Highway 50 project.
“I’ll just absorb (the cost) and then people will contribute. I don’t have to ask — they just do.”
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