Johnson City’s “Big Flag” Has Been Downsized

Old Glory waves again from atop a 150-foot pole in Johnson City. But something is a bit different.

The flag flies from a cellphone tower near the Johnson City public works garage. [Bob Joseph/WNBF News][/caption]

On WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program Thursday, Mayor Greg Deemie confirmed the "big flag is back up on the cell tower pole" near the village public works facility off Brown Street.

It turns out the new flag is fairly big but it's not quite as large as the one it replaced.

The giant flag that had been a fixture for more than a decade. But when the Stars and Stripes vanished last summer, motorists who enjoyed seeing it as they drove on Route 17 were curious.

It turned out that crews had been doing work on the cellphone tower which is used by AT&T. The facility had been acquired by Crown Castle International Corporation.

The original large flag was removed because it apparently had been damaging electronic equipment near the top of the pole.

The mayor previously had noted the flag was worn out and needed to be replaced.

Deemie said the new flag is "a bit smaller than the one that was up there before."

The mayor said he understood why so many people were concerned when they noticed the flag had disappeared. He said he hopes the flag will continue to fly there "for a long time to come."

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