04/16/2008

Associated Press

Since your typical flagpole runs 40 to 45 feet tall, it's a task to paint one that rises three times that.

In the Klamath County town Merrill, Dave Hinricks got it done in two days, slowed some by problems that included gusty winds.

In 1984, the Merrill Lions Club installed the 135-foot-tall pole to honor prisoners of war and military members missing in action.

Hinricks has a family business going back three generations that specializes in painting water towers, bridges and flagpoles.

Eight years ago, the last time Merrill had its pole painted, Hinrick's father, Warren, did the job.

Hinricks said he was headed south for more work, intending to talk to the people in Dorris, just south of the Oregon-California border, about their pole, which rises 200 feet.

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Information from: Herald and News, http://www.heraldandnews.com