A donor will guarantee the Raise the Flag fundraiser will meet its goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spoken to the donor, and they have agreed to sign an escrow agreement,\u201d City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said at Wednesday\u2019s Cape Coral City Council workshop. \u201cThey are going to put the money up.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the fundraiser generates and collects donations, guarantee money will be refunded back to the guaranteer, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are willing to do that. The concerns from residents, and concerns from all of you, hopefully will be satisfied, and we can move on,\u201d Ilczyszyn said.<\/p>\n
As of Wednesday afternoon, 55% of the $500,000 goal \u2014 $277,546 \u2014 has been met from 108 supporters.<\/p>\n
Ilczyszyn said the fundraiser originally started with him saying he wanted to do something in celebration of the country\u2019s 250th\u00a0Anniversary. He said he asked for a supplemental budget request in the budget to do something grander than the city typically does for Independence Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that budget session you all told me you could not support that unless the public fundraised the flag,\u201d Ilczyszyn said. \u201cThat\u2019s how it started.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he has been on 92.5 radio a handful of times since November to talk about the fundraiser, free of charge, as 92.5 uses Bernice Braden Park for its 911 remembrance ceremony.<\/p>\n
The Raise the Flag fundraiser is a community effort to build the tallest free-standing American flagpole in Florida \u2013 250 feet tall in honor of America\u2019s 250th\u00a0birthday.<\/p>\n
Ilczyszyn said the community has shared concerns about getting enough donors.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur processes are clunky,\u201d he said, adding that things are meant to be challenged, voices heard. \u201cThat is what the flag will stand for.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more on the project or to donate visit capecoral.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n