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Mr. Torrey said that a 30-foot pole was too small. He said that most cities would not even <br />consider having such a debate. He was concerned that Eugene residents did not fly flags on <br />Flag Day. He said there was nothing wrong with recognizing the symbol of the country, which <br />happened to be a flag. He said that the United States allowed dissent and did not suppress it. <br />Mr. Torrey said the City should be proud of the flag. He advocated for placing a measure for the <br />compromise proposal on the ballot. <br /> <br />Ms. Swanson Gribskov did not think it was a good idea to put such a measure on the ballot as it <br />would cause a bigger schism in the community. She said that there was no disagreement among <br />councilors about the appropriateness of the flag as a symbol, but there was disagreement about <br />the issues of size and scale. She was seeking a "win-win" situation. <br /> <br />Mr. Lee advocated for placing a measure related to the compromise proposal on the ballot. He <br />said that the land in question was publicly owned. He acknowledged that everybody had different <br />values about the flag. He did not think the council could appropriately make a decision about the <br />size or location because the flag is a community symbol. <br /> <br />Mr. Tollenaar said that he perceived the issue to be an administrative issue rather than a policy <br />issue, although he acknowledged that controversy turned administration issues into policy issues. <br />He said if the council could reach agreement on the basic principle, e.g., normally size flag, it <br />could leave the administrative details to staff. <br /> <br /> Mr. Tollenaar moved, seconded by Ms. Swanson Gribskov, to amend the <br /> motion to direct the City Manager to arrange for moving the existing war <br /> memorial located next to the Skinner Butte bike path to the top of the butte <br /> and arrange for erection of a normal sized flag on a normal sized flagpole on <br /> the butte. <br /> <br />There was brief discussion about the nature of the amendment. City Attorney Glenn Klein <br />indicated that the amendment was a replacement motion. <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson said that staff would need further direction from the council regarding what <br />constituted a "normally sized" flag and flagpole. He asked who the council wanted to see the <br />flag, and from where in the community. Mr. Tollenaar responded that his intent was to make the <br />flag primarily visible to the people who visit the top of the butte. <br /> <br />Mr. Torrey expressed the hope the amendment would be defeated because such a flag would be <br />obscured by trees. He did not think the council was going to remove trees from the butte. Mr. <br />Torrey believed that the location of the memorial in Skinner Butte Park was appropriate and it <br />should not be moved. He said that he often saw people stopping by to view the monument. In <br />addition, Mr. Torrey pointed out, it was a long way up to the top of the butte for many pedestrians <br />and cyclists. <br /> <br />Mr. Farr argued that the proposal before the council was not disproportionate. He pointed out <br />that there were several taller trees on the butte. In addition, the amendment would mean the City <br />would pay all costs, while his proposal would be paid for in perpetuity by a foundation <br />underwritten by the sponsor. Mr. Farr said that three weeks was not a long time for the <br />supporters of the flag proposal to gather sufficient signatures to place a measure on the ballot. <br />However, he believed that the organizers would be successful. He guaranteed that the petition <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 24, 1998 Page 5 <br /> 11:30 a.m. <br /> <br /> <br />