Residents say veterans were not heard on Lincoln County memorial placement; commissioners diverge on level of support

Public commenters told the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on May 12 that the board’s recent decision to place a Veterans Memorial near the county Justice Center ignored veterans’ stated preferences and created a sense of separation between the public and staff parking.

Scott Montgomery, a local resident, told commissioners that documents presented at a prior meeting showed no public support for siting the memorial at the Justice Center: "Nobody from the public stood in favor of putting that Veterans Memorial out at the Justice Center," he said, adding that the placement felt like "a kick in the teeth" to veterans who wanted more visible placement.

Doug McKinney, speaking during the public-comment period, said he had checked county records and found no building permit on file for the original courthouse or later work, and he questioned whether the county had properly tracked permits and oversight for prior changes. Linda Montgomery urged the board to obtain more than one assessment for structural or site-related work: "I really believe that we should have more than 1 assessment," she said, arguing the county should not rely on a single consultant.

Commissioner Putnam said his door-to-door work in the district showed opposition to the memorial-placement decision: "I've been a lot doing a lot of door knocking in your district, and I've never had 1 person say that it was a good deal," he said. Commissioner Schmidt countered that many veterans he had spoken with did not share the opposition and said the county is home to many differing opinions.

No formal action was taken at the meeting; commissioners acknowledged ongoing community concern and asked staff to follow up with records of prior work and any additional information that could inform site placement.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 644, topfinish SEG 879.