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Commission accepts donated 'Charters of Freedom' display; county to cover modest site work
Summary
Foundation Forward offered a replica Charters of Freedom setting as a gift to Randolph County; the board accepted the donation and instructed staff to draft an LOI. Staff estimated county site-preparation and lighting costs around $9,000–$10,000.
Foundation Forward requested the county accept a donated Charters of Freedom setting — life-size etched bronze panels reproducing founding documents — and the board approved accepting the gift on Nov. 3.
Jeff Morse of Foundation Forward described the display and the organization’s education goals, saying the structure is engineered to be permanent. "This is a gift that our foundation wants to provide to the citizens of Randolph County," Morse said, adding that his group would provide the charters and foundation while the county would be responsible for any "landscaping, lighting" or other site-related costs.
County staff said site preparation, power and minor concrete work were likely to cost about $9,000–$10,000 and that a staff-led LOI and attestation would be developed for legal review. A commissioner moved to accept the gift with site-preparation funding to be paid by the county; the motion was seconded and the board approved accepting the donation and directed staff to develop next steps.
No county appropriation for the display itself was requested; Foundation Forward said its founder and a North Carolina General Assembly appropriation have supported portions of the program in other counties.
Next steps: staff will prepare an LOI and coordinate site-selection, site prep, lighting and a future dedication ceremony.
