GILROY
– The City Council reviewed a city flag design Monday featuring
the city seal on a white background, but at the request of
Councilman Al Pinheiro put off a decision on the matter for two
weeks to think it over.
GILROY – The City Council reviewed a city flag design Monday featuring the city seal on a white background, but at the request of Councilman Al Pinheiro put off a decision on the matter for two weeks to think it over.
What will happen next is unclear, but during Monday’s brief discussion no one suggested asking the city’s Youth Commission to relaunch the project.
“It seems like their plate is really full,” said Councilman Craig Gartman, who originally approached the commission with the flag contest idea.
The seal depicts a steam locomotive running past a landscape that includes a tree and a building with a smoking chimney. The words “City of Gilroy, Incorporated 1870” surround the picture in an outer circle.
Mayor Tom Springer recently suggested using the seal for the flag design after a special contest launched in February didn’t produce any solid contenders.
The city had hoped to land a new design that could be unveiled at the 25th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival this summer. But while the Youth Commission received 15 applications, issues such as size requirements and color schemes prevented any from really hitting the mark.
The commission originally recommended extending the contest deadline, opening the contest to non-city residents and offering a clinic on flag design concepts.
However, several Councilmembers seemed receptive to Springer’s recommendation to pursue the simple seal in the interests of time.
Then they deferred to the youth commission for the next move, but commissioners – already burdened with other short-term projects – voted to revisit the project this fall unless Councilmembers wanted to act otherwise.
