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Commission approves design work for veterans memorial as Justice Center construction nears completion
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Summary
After a construction update on the Lincoln County Justice Center, the commission voted to fund design and rendering work for a veterans memorial adjacent to the new facility while urging outreach and fundraising before any construction funding is committed.
Julie Dotsrod of the Tager Group opened the Justice Center update and introduced Henry Carlson project manager Kyle Hubers and JLG architect Lynn Remmers, who reported steady progress on exterior and interior finishes and outlined upcoming utility tie-ins that will require phased road closures to connect sanitary services to Highway 18.
The construction team told commissioners the site enclosure and exterior curtain wall work are near completion, third-floor finishes are largely in place and the remaining interior work should move through drywall to casework in early spring. Hubers said deep utility tie-ins along West Road Avenue (the road feeding the site) will require phased full closures of 4–6 weeks with maintained local access from north or south, and that coordination with nearby residents and businesses is in place.
The meeting then turned to a proposal to add a veterans memorial to the Justice Center campus. John Lobel described the county’s interest in avoiding future rework and in arranging footings or buried infrastructure now so a memorial could be integrated without costly demolition later. Landscape architect David Locke of Stockwell Engineers presented conceptual approaches, said the firm could deliver 3‑D renderings and cost estimates within roughly two to four weeks and gave a ballpark figure for the concept/design package in the mid‑$20,000 range.
Commissioners asked the consultants to allow time for veterans groups to review designs and requested the team incorporate options that would permit donor pavers or other fundraising approaches. “We can get renderings out to veterans organizations at the end of the month,” Locke said, committing to stakeholder outreach during the design window.
On a motion to authorize the concept/rendering work, the commission approved moving ahead with the design phase by roll call: Commissioner Putnam—Yes; Commissioner Schmidt—Yes; Commissioner Otten—No; Commissioner Arons—Yes; Commissioner Landin—Yes. Commissioners and public commenters emphasized the county would seek donor funding for construction and that the county’s payment would be for engineering and renderings, not for final build-out.
