U.S. Flags will come down as Manassas considers ‘adopt-a-pole’ program

Greg Neiss just wanted to do something nice for his community.

“I stuck a flag on the pole outside my house, and I’ve had it there for years, on and off, probably 10 years,” Neiss told PLN.

A Marine Corps veteran, Neiss started to think it would be nice if there were more U.S. Flags on his block to cheer up people during the recent coronavirus lockdown.

So he went to Costco and got a few more flags.  He put them up on light poles on Clover Hill Road in Manassas. No one said anything.

It wasn’t until his neighborhood’s community forum on the website Nextdoor, started to chat about the flags, that anything happened. Neighbors posting to the forum were asking who was putting up the flags, and if it was the city government.

Someone in the forum identified Neiss as the man who was posting the flags, and then people began putting money in his mailbox to buy and erect more flags. When all was said and done, he installed 15 flags along Clover Hill Road, from Waterford Drive to Wellington Road.

“I didn’t want credit for it,” Neiss said. “I just did it.”

Neiss reiterated that it was not politically motivated. Not long after he put up the last flag, the city government received a complaint.

“The flags were put up on city street light poles by a resident without permission.  Nothing, no flyers, flags, posters etc. are allowed on light posts for the safety of our electric utility workers,” states city spokeswoman Patty Prince in an email to PLN.

The decorative flags on utility poles in the city’s downtown — they’re put up by the city and are permitted, Prince states.

So the city gave Neiss an ultimatum: Remove the flags or it would.

Neiss started taking the flags down, but when he went to take one down at Clover Hill Road and Hastings Drive, neighbors urged him to fight back, he said.

He took his fight to a town hall meeting at Manassas Airport on September 21, where there was a discussion of creating an  “adopt-a-pole” program, similar to when an individual, family, or business “adopts” a street and vows to keep it free of litter.

In this case, anyone who adopts a pole would promise to maintain the flag.

“I’ve got good feedback from at least half of the city council,” Neiss said, including the Mayor.

Now, Neiss will meet with City Manager Pat Pate to set up a program where residents donate flags, and Greg would have them put up. Greg said there won’t have to be any cost for the City, and he can make all the arrangements to put them up.

“It wouldn’t cost the City a penny,” Neiss said.

The City Council has scheduled a work session in October to discuss the adopt-a-pole program.

“We continue to work with the neighborhood on their request to City Council to establish a more formal program to allow American flags on the City’s utility poles. As we do every year, the American flags will be removed from the city’s poles for the winter and be reinstalled in the spring,” said Prince.