Courthouse will get flag

 DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Commissioners will make a final decision on July 21 on returning the American flag to the bare pole in front of the courthouse complex.

 At a previous meeting, commissioners asked the Observer for assistance in obtaining the public’s input on whether the expense of buying an all-weather flag, pole hardware and a lighting system was worth the cost. Estimates for the entire project are about $3,000.

 Email responses to Staff Writer Mike Lange’s column on the subject were 100 percent in favor of putting the flag up; and a Facebook posting attracted nearly 1,100 “reaches” and overwhelmingly positive comments. In comparison, an average news story usually gets 700-800 “reaches.”

 County archives revealed that the pole has been in the courthouse since 1915, but no one is certain how long it’s been since Old Glory was waving in front of the structure.