After six months away, the American Flag has returned flying above the Grant County Courthouse dome.

In December, strong snowstorms blew through the region, and ripped the flag off the top of the dome. Also going with it was the line to run the flag up and down the flagpole.

The county had installed a new flagpole in October 2017 to allow workers to raise and lower the flag from within the dome, allowing them the ability to easily replace flags worn by the elements. The previous method of having someone climb onto the roof of the cupola of the dome to replace the flag was seen as a safety hazard, while it was cost prohibitive to bring in a crane every time a flag should be replaced, anywhere from two-to-four times a year.

Unfortunately, there was no way to replace the line for the flagpole without a crane.

Fortunately, crews that were south of Lancaster, working on installation of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line, had a crane tall enough to handle the task. On Wednesday, June 29, the crews set up to replace the line.

Unfortunately, things did not go as smoothly as planned. The first attempt was stopped when it appeared the blacktop parking lot was either sinking or buckling at the anchor points for the crane. Crews then went and got laminated wood mats they use in the fields to stabilize the crane.

The second attempt was not successful as well, as the crane was out of position to reach there top of the dome, falling about 12 feet short.

A quick repositioning of the crane, and the crews had a successful third attempt, dropping a new line into place.

The new line has a metal cable center, to add to durability, and the line will be changed out frequently to reduce the possibility of failing due to fatigue.