‘nails’ Gets Three Years In Prison

Elaine Schall is the coordinator of reader services at the Oste

<b>First Posted:</b> 3/5/2012

HANOVER TWP. &amp;#8211; The flagpole near the meeting house in the Hanover Green Cemetery has stood for nearly a century and a fund drive has begun to restore it and keep it standing for another one.

The 50-foot steel-sectioned pole and concrete base supporting it need work to prevent further damage from the weather and elements so it can continue to honor the veterans of foreign wars buried in the historic cemetery, said Len Luba of Hanover Township.

He is leading a campaign to raise $4,500 for the work and have it ready for a noon rededication ceremony on May 19, Armed Forces Day.

Luba, 65, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, is uncertain when the flagpole was dedicated by the Gen. John J. Pershing Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 50. The post was founded in 1917 and he estimated the dedication followed a few years later.

"I'm estimating it's at least 90 years old," Luba said.

At that age it's a newcomer to the cemetery established on June 9, 1776. Veterans of the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish American and both World Wars are buried there. The meeting house next to the flagpole was built in 1825.

"They have a small congregation that meets here every Sunday," said Luba.

He and others in the association overseeing the cemetery have wanted to restore the flagpole memorial for a while.

"We've been talking about painting it for years," Luba said.

They've considered using a fire truck with a ladder, but insurance and liability issues put that idea to rest.

The height of the pole prohibits the association from undertaking the much-needed restoration.

"I don't think they intended for it to erode and eventually fall down," said Luba of the VFW post members responsible for the memorial.

Luba, who serves as financial advisor to the association, said he has been in touch with a contractor who would build scaffolding around the pole in order to sand it down and paint it. The base would be cleaned of loose concrete and sealed with a polymer. Additionally, a light would be installed for illumination at night and in accordance with flag etiquette. The work would take approximately a week

The cemetery, the oldest common cemetery in Luzerne County, relies on an annual appeal and the sale of plots for income and receives no public funds. Area veterans and veterans' groups have been contacted for donations and the public is welcome to contribute to the restoration project.

All donors will be recognized at the rededication, said Luba.

How to contribute

Contact Len Luba, board member of the Hanover Green Cemetery Co., at 570 954-6267 or send a donation to:

Hanover Cemetery Co., 689 Main Road, Hanover Township, PA 18706 before April 15.

&nbsp;

Raising funds to raise flag