Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Art Memorials topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves NAACP memorial plan with condition: three arborist opinions before courthouse oak removal
Summary
The commission upheld a motion to place two carvings (one honoring Esha Bellamy and a Lady Justice statue) and ordered three arborist opinions to evaluate whether the courthouse oak can be salvaged; commissioners debated placement, stump excavation and whether two opinions were sufficient to remove the tree.
Jackson County commissioners confirmed a prior, amended motion to select the NAACP's memorial concept (an American flag backdrop with Esha Bellamy planting an oak tree) and a Lady Justice carving, and directed staff to obtain three independent arborist opinions to determine whether the courthouse oak is salvageable.
The clerk read the earlier, amended motion back to the board: "A motion was made by Commissioner Spires and seconded by Commissioner Crutchfield...The motion was further amended to add that a total of 3 opinions will be obtained to determine if the tree is or is not salvageable and if the stump would be suitable for the sculpture. Lastly, a rendition of the logos will be submitted to each commissioner. The motion carried 4 to 1." The clerk recorded D'Onofrio as the lone dissent.
Several commissioners said they were concerned about crowding multiple memorials in one corner of the courthouse lawn and about the long‑term durability of wood sculptures in the elements. Staff reported two arborists had already deemed the tree dead or dying, a third report was expected around the 15th, and county staff had contacted a sculptor who warned that carved wood exposed to storms had an estimated useful life of roughly five years without specialized preservation.
Commissioners agreed to wait for the third arborist report and for staff to present sculpture renderings and cost estimates before removing the tree or approving final installation locations. One commissioner suggested planting a replacement 15–18‑foot tree in firm, undisturbed soil elsewhere and installing a plaque honoring Bellamy near a new planting; others cautioned that root systems and nearby monuments might limit options and asked staff to provide options at the next meeting.
What happens next: Staff will obtain the third arborist opinion, refine sculptor renderings and return the reports and cost estimates to the commission for a final decision on removal and placement.
