The Greater Olney Civic Association reached an agreement with the State Highway Administration, allowing the civic organization to continue working with other area groups who want to display banners at Olney's main crossroads.

For more than 20 years, GOCA has managed what banners are hung on the northeast corner of the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Route 108, as well as the "Welcome to Olney" sign on the northwest corner, based on what civic association officials claim was an agreement with the SHA.

In exchange, GOCA took care of maintaining both corners, keeping them clean and landscaped.

The nominal fee GOCA charged to other nonprofit organizations to hang banners at the corners was used for utilities, maintenance and landscaping costs.

But SHA spokesman David Buck said as far as he could tell, there was never an agreement between SHA and GOCA, at least in writing, and GOCA members were not able to produce a document.

State highway officials unexpectedly removed two banners from the northeast corner of the intersection on Oct. 23, forcing GOCA and highway officials to renegotiate the agreement.

Buck said the signs were removed because SHA had received a complaint and found that both signs were hung in the state right of way and attached to an SHA-owned pole and a Pepco-owned pole.

"The bottom line is that we could not allow them to continue to hang things on our signal pole," he said. "Someone could be hanging a sign there and get electrocuted or struck by lightning — that is just something we could not relent on."

After a week of negations, SHA agreed to erect two metal posts on the northeast corner and will allow GOCA to administer hanging banners there.

GOCA President Sharon Dooley said the negotiations required the civic association to sign a contract that needs to be renewed every two years.

"We are hopeful that this is going to work out," she said. "It seems like a viable solution, so we are happy."

GOCA officials also took a step in preventing documents from being lost by keeping them in a newly-acquired safety deposit box.

GOCA's policy allows only banners promoting community-based events sponsored by non-profit agencies to be hung on the corners. The banners typically promote events such as concerts, health fairs and open houses.

Dooley said the banner program is important to GOCA, as well as community organizations.

"Not only is it a source of income for GOCA, it's also a great communication tool for Olney," she said.