Allan Appel Photo
Visser, left, and Doyle engage in the friendly flag discussion.
Morris Cove is ready to fly Old Glory in the neighborhood — but not sure if if other countries’ flags belong in the display at all.
The idea of purchasing and flying American flags along Townsend Avenue from the seawall to Lighthouse Point Road during the tourist-rich summer months emerged this week at a public meeting, during discussion over how to spend $10,000 allocated to each of the city’s management teams annually through the Livable City Initiative’s (LCI) Neighborhood Public Improvement Program
Neighbors embraced the idea. But they didn’t end up voting on it, because of a lively debate sparked by Morris Avenue resident and South African-born Rikka Visser. Visser asked: Why only American flags? The area is diverse. Why not international flags as well? To which neighbors responded: That would open up a can of worms.
That charged but polite back-and-forth on patriotic displays took place Tuesday night at the East Shore Management Team’s regular monthly meeting and pot luck supper. The gathering drew 15 concerned citizens to the community room of the Engine 16 Firehouse at the corner of Townsend Avenue and Lighthouse Point Road.
Management team treasurer John Abbagnaro said he had noticed how other areas in New Haven as well as neighboring East Haven fly American flags throughout the summer months. Why not use some of the money to do the same on Morris Cove’s main thoroughfare?
Several neighbors agreed. Then Rika Visser asked, “Why not [also] international flags?”
“You’ll leave someone’s [country’s flag] out,” another voice chimed in from the back of the community room.
Then that person could pay to add his or her country’s flag to the display, Visser parried.
“That’s a good idea,” yet a fourth voice replied.
Shifting the discussion, Abbagnaro said, “I’d start in the beginning of summer to Labor Day. We’ve got $10,000 to spend.”
He also raised the issue of who’d put the flags up and where they would be stored.
Someone suggested contacting United Illuminating to see if as, a public service, the company could fly the flags on its poles and provide storage as well.
Neighborhood LCI staffer Pauley Morbidelli suggested using lamp posts. “The light poles belong to us,” he said.
Josh Van Hoesen hadn’t forgotten the Old Glory v. International issue, which still floated unresolved in the discussion.
Looking up from his iPhone, he reported: “About 197 flags of independent countries if they use them all.”
After the formal meeting was adjourned and participants ambled over to the pot-luck fried chicken, biscuits, pizza, and chip-rich chocolate cookies, former management team chair Tina Doyle engaged Visser in more discussion about the pesky flag question.
“It’s [flying international flags] a good idea, but there will always be someone who wants their nation. How do you please everyone?” she asked rhetorically. “Rotate them?”
“If I want a South African flag, I could pay for it,” Visser replied.
Then another potentially thorny problem came up: “What if someone wants to fly an Al Qeda flag?
It was left for Morbidelli to make inquiries about how and where flags might be displayed. He was asked to report on the matter at the next meeting, when neighbors might vote on the matter.