Families and residents urge keeping memorials in Georgetown Circle; council to reconvene advisory committee

Family members of two fallen officers and dozens of residents urged the Georgetown Town Council not to move two memorials from the town's center circle, saying the monuments belong in a prominent public location and asking the council to prioritize protective measures instead of relocation.

Aubrey Spicer, who identified herself as the daughter of the late Officer Chad Spicer, told the council the memorial to her father should remain visible in the circle rather than be moved to the new police station.

"This monument deserves better. My father deserves better," Aubrey Spicer said. "If the location needs to be made safer, then make it safer. Let's install barriers. Let's find some sort of protection."

Multiple speakers echoed that position. Britney Mumford, who said Chad Spicer was her cousin, told the council the circle was chosen because it is "in the heart of Georgetown" and that families and the community do not want the memorials moved out of public view. Julie Greg McCabe, who identified herself as the daughter of Chief Harvey Gregg, also said the monument provided the family peace and should remain where it can be seen.

Town staff and the Circle Advisory Committee described recent safety data and recommended a staged approach: implement signage and other traffic-calming measures and then reassess the placement of monuments and memorials with stakeholders. The town's report, read into the record by staff, said the committee had been formed Aug. 12, 2024, and identified six focus areas including safety, traffic, enforcement, education, traffic calming and protection.

"From September of 2023 to November of 2024, we had a total of nine incidents resulting in $184,000 worth of damage to various components of the circle," the town manager reported. The committee recommended signage improvements at all circle entrances and specific approaches on East Market Street, South Bedford Street, West Market Street and North Bedford Street, and also suggested examining interior perimeter crash protection.

Several speakers, including former mayor and state senator Brian Pederson, urged the council to keep the memorials on the circle and said they would pursue funding for permanent protective measures if the committee recommended retaining the monuments in place.

"You can't have something that's well rounded without a center. That out there is the center of our town," Brian Pederson said, adding he would work to secure community transportation fund money to erect barriers if the committee recommended keeping the monuments on the circle.

Members of the Circle Advisory Committee and the council said they have hired a design consultant and that the committee will reconvene to review design options and protection features before any relocation occurs. Council members also agreed to invite family members back to the committee process and to consider adding legal counsel to ensure proper procedure.

No final decision to remove or relocate the memorials was made; council members said they will review the consultant's design and protection recommendations with the reconstituted stakeholder group and return to the full council for any action.

The council asked staff to reconvene the Circle Advisory Committee, include family representatives and to evaluate the consultant's proposals for signage, traffic calming and perimeter protection before making any change to the monuments' placement.