Flagless Ferndale Flagpole to Get Flag Back

A flagpole without a flag is a lonely sight. It's like a car without wheels, a Red Wings team without Nick Lidstrom in the lineup, or a coffee shop without a wi-fi connection.

Behind , in the alley along southbound Woodward, there is a giant flagpole... without a flag.

Readers Jason Zarkadakis and brought up the flaglessness of the pole to Ferndale Patch. Zarkadakis asked the simple question: "Why doesn't that pole have a flag?"

So, we asked City Manager April McGrath why that pole didn't have a flag.

The answer: It was unknown why it didn't, but it should.

The pole is an AT&T cell phone tower. The city and Laurence Wolf -- of Wolf Properties -- have an agreement that he maintains said tower. As part of the agreement, he must keep a flag on it.

Well, there wasn't one. So the city got in touch with Wolf and a flag has been purchased, according to McGrath. "The pole has to maintain a flag as part of the agreement and (Wolf) ordered one right away," McGrath said.

The 15-foot-by-25-foot flag is ready to go, McGrath said. But it's not up yet.

McGrath said that the rope to attach the flag and thus hoist it up the pole is tangled at the top of the tower. She said the city has asked AT&T to bring a lift to untangle the rope and get the flag up.

McGrath said there isn't a current timeline to when the flag will be back but the city is working on it. We'll let you know when the flag is replaced.