Libertyville businessman wants to fly supersized flag

He didn't serve in the military and there was no rockets'-red-glare moment, but Libertyville businessman Roch Tranel is all about patriotism.

The difference between Tranel, a financial planner who favors flag ties, pins and hats and some others who hold this country dear, is he has a prominent site along Milwaukee Avenue and the means to showcase his feelings in a big way.

His idea to install a flagpole that far exceeded the allowable height limit was rejected in 2006, but Tranel said he never lost the urge to share his patriotism. He again is pursuing a super-sized idea that is expected to generate debate when the village board considers it Nov. 9.

Tranel wants a change in the zoning code to install an 80-foot-tall pole, well over the 45-foot maximum allowed in the village.

As proposed, the aluminum pole would be engineered to withstand winds in excess of 100 mph and would be anchored in reinforced concrete up to 10 feet deep.

Atop it would fly a 20-by-30-foot American flag, an oversized symbol of Tranel's personal passion.

“I don't think we need a tragic event to happen for us to be patriotic,” he said.

The investment would be $16,000 or more, including legal fees, Tranel estimated. But money isn't the issue, he said.

“This flag is my way of giving back to this community,” said Tranel, who grew up on a farm in Monroe, Wis., and opened his business in Libertyville in 1990.

He admits it sounds corny but feels his being born in the U.S. contributed to his success. Ideally, motorists passing on Milwaukee Avenue would take notice of his flag and be filled with a similar sense of gratitude, he said.

Tranel made the same plea in 2006, when he sought a zoning change to accommodate a 100-foot pole, which he later trimmed to 80 feet. He mothballed the idea when it became apparent the village board would say no if pressed to vote.

“Why not a smaller flag on a shorter pole? To me it feels right a large display of patriotism,” Tranel said. “The 80-foot pole pops it above the tree line and gives it some visibility.”

Tranel recently brought an aerial truck to the site and extended the boom to that height to give village officials an idea of what they would be dealing with.

Then as now, however, the village plan commission recommended denial. Commissioners recommended against in a 4-2 vote after a public hearing in September.

Dissenters cited the need for a pole of that height at this location. There also was concern the village wouldn't be able to regulate what type of flag could be flown.

Village Attorney David Pardys said it was not advisable but the request was changed to say any use of a flagpole display for other than the U.S. flag is prohibited, a fact that could complicate the discussion.

“There is a concern as to whether we can just restrict it to an American flag,” Mayor Terry Weppler said.

Before he was elected, Weppler, an attorney, represented Tranel in the first flag proposal and said he would recuse himself from the issue.

Trustee Rich Moras has been informally gauging public opinion in his travels.

“Every time I come across citizens I ask them the question: ‘How do you feel about an 80-foot flagpole?'” he said. “Overwhelmingly, the response is, ‘What for?'”

Tranel has had other issues with the village code. He sued the village in 2008 when it rejected his request for an electronic message board in front of the business. The sign, one of five in Libertyville, eventually was permitted with restrictions as part of a settlement early this year.

Tranel said he hoped his latest request would be approved because the current village board ran on a platform of being more business-friendly.

Will he bring suit again if the flagpole is denied?

“I don't want to go down that path but I think you never give up,” he said. “Do you give up on patriotism?”