The iconic Canadian flag on 104th Avenue that was replaced last Friday has been ripped to shreds by the wind already.
@NEWS1130 #windstorm Nov.13 in Surrey pic.twitter.com/JCF0SjKaIU
— LorenzoL (@lorenzoloschi68) November 13, 2017
(Video posted to Twitter by @lorenzoloschi68 on Nov. 13)
Last week, the Now-Leader reported that the giant flag in Guildford was being replaced, after its absence was noticed.
On Monday, (Nov. 6), the 86-metre flag pole stood void of the massive maple leaf that usually flies high above the Barnes Wheaton auto lot.
The 50-by-80-foot flag was destroyed during an early November wind storm, said dealership president Greg Barnes.
But a replacement was installed last Friday (Nov. 10).
Now, just three days later, wind has destroyed it again.
See also: Surrey’s big Canadian flag destroyed again, meaning another big bill for auto dealership (Nov. 6, 2017)
This is a really bad time of year for the flag, Barnes said last week, because it’s frequently destroyed in heavy wind and wet weather.
“Once that flag gets a tail, it’s like pulling a loose thread on a sweater, it just totally unravels,” he added.
The flagpole was brought to the dealership site in 1987, a year after it stood as the world’s largest freestanding such pole at the Expo 86 fair in Vancouver.
When Barnes Wheaton took over the 104th Avenue business in 2012, ownership inherited the landmark flagpole, along with all the work and costs that come with it.
“It’s a big-budget item for us, and we’re doing our best to maintain it,” Barnes said. “It’s upwards of $40,000 a year to keep that thing flying. That’s six flags plus maintenance and all that stuff.”
When stormy weather is forecast, dealership management attempts to take down the flag, “because we know it’ll just get destroyed, and it’s almost five grand a copy to get new ones,” Barnes said.
“We get calls as soon as it’s gone or when it gets ripped,” he added, “and when it gets ripped, oh man, we want to get it off (the flagpole) as soon as possible because we get so many calls from people saying we’re not respecting the flag and all that stuff. But the first thing is, you have to wait until the wind dies down before we can even take it down (for safety reasons).”
-With files from Tom Zillich
amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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