EVANS CITY — “I just get goose bumps every time someone mentions it,” said Mayor Dean Zinkhann today about the reversal of First Energy, owner of Penn Power, of its decision to prohibit veteran banners from being hung on their utility poles in the borough.

“The fast turnaround was unbelievable, and it was all because of that Eagle article.”

On Monday Zinkhann said that his plan to hang 2-foot by 3-foot banners of individual veterans along Main Street was thwarted when First Energy officials said they do not allow items to be hung on their poles.

But after an article in Tuesday’s Butler Eagle and a Wednesday report on the issue by a Pittsburgh news station, First Energy on Thursday sent out a press release stating that the banners will be allowed.

“This project is important to the community, our customers and our employees in the area,” Randall Frame, president of Ohio Edison and Penn Power, said in the release. “We look forward to working with area officials and others to find a way to safely place these banners on display in Evans City.”

Zinkhann had planned to institute the Military Banner Program in the borough after seeing it in Castle Shannon, Allegheny County, where it originated.

In the program, a large banner with a picture of a current, former or deceased veteran can be bought for $80, which also includes two small banners and the bracket to hang the large one on a telephone pole.

Duquesne Light has partnered with the operators of the Military Banner Program in the Castle Shannon area, but First Energy told Zinkhann the banners could damage equipment on the poles or come into contact with live wires in a high-wind situation.