Placement of commemorative bricks preps flagpole for dedication in Corning

Julie R. Johnson, Corning Observer, Calif.
·3 min read

Sep. 11—Mike Smith and Jace Blankenship spent two full days placing the commemorative bricks around the base of the new flagpole at the Corning Veterans Memorial Hall in preparation for the flagpole's dedication.

"I'm not exactly sure of the date for the dedication," said local VFW member Dean Blankenship, one of the organizers of the new flagpole project.

Previous to the placement of the bricks, Tom White and his daughter, Sarah Hill, dedicated their time placing the multi-colored military branch seals at the bottom of the flagpole on a sloped concrete base.

"Everything looks beautiful," Blankenship said. White constructed the forms, poured the concrete and placed the seals on the pole.

The flagpole project has been going on for a couple of years with $20,000 donated by the community to purchase the new aluminum pole, remove the old one, create the new base and place the new pole under the direction of Blankenship, John Leach, a member of the American Legion, Ron Sanders a member of Disabled American Veterans, and Jerry Lequia representing the community.

Because the Veterans Hall is Tehama County property, the county's Board of Supervisors had to approve of the project and all its components and donations of labor.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) donated time, equipment and a crew on June 1, 2022 to remove the dilapidated old wooden flagpole in preparation for the new flagpole to be installed, and then showed up again to install the new pole.

Walberg, Inc., of Richfield donated time and supplies to construct the pole's new base and will be pouring the new cement base.

When the project began and the old pole and base were removed, it was guaranteed to the veterans' posts that the dedicatory plaque stating "Dedicated to American Veterans" would be reinstalled — and it has been.

The flagpole is just one project being conducted for the 88-year-old, 9,000 square-foot historic building, which is in need of more than $6.4 million in repairs.

A report on the condition of the Corning Veterans Memorial Hall was heard by the Tehama County Board of Supervisors earlier this year and things aren't looking good for the old facility.

The county hired Nichols, Melbeurg and Rossetto (NMR) Architects and Engineers to conduct a feasibility study on the structure in September after the board received public concerns about the hall's condition from residents of Corning.

"The sentimental value of the Hall is worth much more than the cost to repair it. It is a Corning icon," said Former Supervisor Bob Williams.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa announced in February he secured $2 million in federal funding for the structures rehabilitation project and Tehama County allotted $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the project.

"It looks like a lot of people are working towards the same goal," Carlson said.

The report stated the top problem is the building's electrical power system, with an estimated repair cost of $245,960.

Second on the list was structural repairs at $87,564. Those repairs included installing new wood-bearing wall below existing joists with rotted ends; seal existing cracks in southern brick wall near foundation and in southern brick wall around window openings; and temporary shoring and repairs to existing roof truss if investigations show signs of structural damage.

The last on the high priority list was the building's interior, with an estimated repair cost of $353,508. Amongst those repairs is removing and replacing existing wall finish on walls requiring new electrical wiring; existing wall finish at southwestern corner of mezzanine and at lobby near existing drinking fountain to look for possible dry rot/damage and make corrective repairs; and remove existing wall finish at southern walls and ceiling of small meeting rooms, evaluate damage and make corrective repairs.

NMR's vast list then goes on to medium priority repairs and low priority repairs.

The report states the cost of repairs, $6.4 million, which doesn't consider the cost of hazardous materials investigation and abatement — is considerable for a building of the Hall's age and condition.