The family that wanted to build the world’s tallest flagpole in rural eastern Maine has agreed to pay a $250,000 fine for building more than 50 cabins without obtaining environmental permits from the state
AUGUSTA, Maine — The family that wanted to build the world’s tallest flagpole in rural eastern Maine has agreed to pay a $250,000 fine under a consent agreement after building more than 50 cabins without obtaining environmental permits from the state.
The Board of Environmental Protection on Wednesday signed the consent agreement signed late last month by Morrill Worcester, patriarch of the family whose company owns the land.
The Flagpole View Cabins were built between 2019 and 2022 in sparsely populated Columbia Falls, near where the family wanted to build a flagpole taller than the Empire State Building. The flagpole was to become the centerpiece of a multibillion-dollar project to honor veterans.
According to the consent agreement, the company must subsequently submit an application for a permit for the work already carried out on Friday.
An attorney for the Worcester family said the project was purposely kept small to avoid the need for a special permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Developers obtained the necessary local permits and caused no damage to the environment, attorney Timothy Pease said.
“The Worcester family and its associated companies are committed to maintaining a good working relationship with all federal, state and local regulatory agencies. In this case, they feel it is in everyone’s best interest to avoid litigation and move forward,” Pease said in a statement Wednesday.
The Worcester family announced about a month ago that it would abandon plans for the flagpole project, which would include a sprawling memorial listing the names of all veterans who have died since the American Revolution, along with a village of museums for living history, a 4,000-seat auditorium and restaurants.
The Worcester family – who are behind Worcester Wreath Co. and Wreaths Across America State, which provides hundreds of thousands of wreaths to military cemeteries and graves around the world – had touted the project as a way to unite people and honor veterans.