‘Hero’ banners are likely to fly in city

CITY HALL — More than two months after directing staff to develop street banners to recognize local active-duty military personnel, the City Council tonight is poised to approve the program.

The banners — which enjoy broad support on the council — would be similar to those attached to street poles along Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta and feature the names of local military personnel serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

If approved, the $38,500 to administer the program would be enough for 101 banners along Glendale Avenue between San Fernando Road and Doran Street, the majority of which would list the troop’s name and branch of service under “Glendale Hero” set against a graphic of the U.S. flag, according to city staff reports.

The program calls on troops’ family members to apply for the banner.

“I think we’re very flexible with that budget amount in case it turns out to be much more than anticipated,” Mayor Ara Najarian said.

To be eligible for a banner, the service member must be a Glendale resident or be an immediate family member. Residency requirements could be waived if they graduated from a Glendale high school, lived in Glendale before enlisting or once worked for the city, depending on how far the City Council wants the program to reach.

While the city will pay for the banners — at $381 each — Mirna Stanley, president of the Verdugo Woodlands Homeowners Assn. and strong proponent of the program, said community donations would be more “meaningful” to returning troops.

Stanley, who broached the subject at a City Council meeting in August after learning of La Crescenta’s intentions to install their own banners, said she and her group of volunteers have raised about $3,700 to help defray the cost to the city.

Even at $38,500 for the program, the average cost of each banner is still more than $100 less than the banners in La Crescenta. Officials there dedicated the banners, which were installed in October, at a ceremony Saturday at the American Legion Hall.

If the City Council approves the program for Glendale tonight, it will join a growing list of cities with similar programs, including Burbank.

“It’s very exciting, and it’s very unifying to do this,” Stanley said.