Details being finalized for Binghamton ‘Hometown Heroes’ banners

City of Binghamton (WBNG) - When walking around the City of Binghamton, there’s an absence of banners to honor our local veterans.

“We have a lot of small towns that are starting to do the Hometown Heroes program,” said Binghamton Vet Center Veteran Outreach Program Specialist Jason Davis. “So we figured why not start something in Binghamton. I mean, it’s a major hub for this area.”

The Binghamton Vet Center and other community partners are working to change that come November.

“We’ve had preliminary talks with the county,” said Davis. “They’re very much in approval with it, they just want to know more details.”

Another person involved is Ben Margolius, the president of the Southern Tier Veterans Support Group (STVSG). When it comes to the planning committee that has been meeting for about a month, he’s a co-chairperson.

“We meet on Mondays,” said Margolius. “We iron out all the details about what the banner’s going to look like, and change the font and all of that kind of stuff.”

Since the July presentation, some amendments have been made to the banner, such as color choices.

“At the bottom of the banner, their color will be blue to signify that they are a legacy or historical veteran,” said Margolius. “The more current ones, the ones after Vietnam starting with Vietnam, will have a red banner at the bottom.

The group is also discussing placements, which include Chenango Street by the Vet Center, near the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, Court Street by the VA Clinic and more. Banners are expected to cost $190 and applications will be available at three locations as of Tuesday, September 26. The locations are the Binghamton Vet Center at 53 Chenango St., the VA community-based outpatient clinic at 203 Court St. in Binghamton, and 44 Hawley St. on the fifth floor.

Once all details are finalized, the plan is to present everything to the City of Binghamton and Broome County leadership at the end of September for final approval.

Eventually, the plan is to expand this effort out to other municipalities, villages and cities in Broome County.

For more information, call the Binghamton Vet Center at 607-722-2392 or STVSG at 607-205-8332. Also, visit the Facebook page “Binghamton Hometown Heroes Campaign” for updates.

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