Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Hometown Hero Banners featuring 14 veterans and active-duty personnel from the City of Warren hang along the 200 block of Liberty Street this summer.

The Blue Star Mothers of Kinzua want to expand the Hometown Heroes banner program that kicked off this summer on Liberty Street.

But Warren City Council will have to make some decisions first. And while council expressed general support for the project, those answers didn’t come this week.

Mike Holtz, public works director, presented a proposal for the creation of a broader program that left council with two options — permit use of the city’s black, decorative poles in the downtown or restrict access to Penelec utility poles. He told council as background that the program was considered back in 2018 but that the decision was made to change the name of the Hickory Street Bridge to the Veterans Memorial Bridge and hang banners for each of the branches of the service.

Skyla Govier with the Blue Star Mothers said that she has a list of 68 people who want to hang banners. She asked for clarity on both the requirements for hanging a banner on the city and whether the veteran would be required to have a connection to the city.

Questions were asked like “what if someone lives or has a business in the city and wants to recognize a veteran that lived in the townships or outside the county” and “how long should someone reside in Warren to meet the criteria?”

City Manager Nancy Freenock said the decision about a veteran’s connection to the city “is entirely up to council.”

Councilwoman Wendy McCain said she loves seeing the banners when she goes into a city.

“I think we need some time to look at the language and know what the parameters are,” she said, working with Govier so that something could be implemented for the spring.

Freenock said Mayor Dave Wortman raised a free speech concern.

“There are free speech implications here, she said. “If all the banner poles are going to be spoken for, there is no room for what some people might consider a non-desirable organization to put up a banner. If we have space, and somebody … wanted to put a banner up, we would not be able to stop them.”

She said the city can’t specify pole access to veterans only “once you open the door.”

She acknowledged the city is “trying to walk a very fine line.”

McCain proposed a work session to discuss the ordinance and answer those questions. A motion to that effect was approved unanimously.