Lincoln County approves $235,000 veterans memorial design after residents urge relocation

The Lincoln County Board of County Commissioners approved a pared-down design for a veterans memorial at the county Justice Center on April 14, 2026, voting to authorize Option B for up to $235,000 after nearly two hours of presentation and public comment.

David Lock, a landscape architect with Stockwell Engineers, presented the updated concept, saying the revised plan removes outer-edge landscaping in favor of turf for ease of maintenance, retains benches and pavers for donor opportunities and includes six flush, in-ground flag sleeves for displaying branch flags on holidays. He told commissioners the updated design had an estimated price from Henry Carlson of approximately $235,000.

Multiple veterans and residents urged the board not to place the memorial at the Justice Center site and instead move an existing memorial to the front of the courthouse so it is visible to passersby. “Veterans Memorial is about the veterans and the veterans weren’t allowed any decision in this design,” said Montgomery, who identified himself as a retired master sergeant, adding, “This is not a veterans memorial and it is not in the right place.” Paul Osleen, a Canton resident and veteran, said the memorial “should be there for people to observe 24/7” and urged greater visibility.

Commissioners debated trade-offs between timing, cost and broader veteran-group consensus. Commissioner Schmidt said the county had previously attempted to relocate the older Canton memorial and stressed the need to involve veterans’ organizations in planning: “We want a seat at the table to participate in the planning of our community veterans memorial.” Other commissioners argued the simplified design reduced long-term maintenance costs and allowed private sponsorships to offset up-front county expense; Commissioner Uton said he would support the pared-down option.

Commissioners ultimately approved the motion for Option B with the $235,000 cap. The roll call recorded no votes from Commissioner Putnham and Commissioner Erens and recorded yes votes from Commissioner Schmidt and Commissioner Landine; the motion carried according to the meeting record. Chair Odden directed staff to follow up, including asking Stockwell Engineers to consider becoming a major donor.

The county will proceed with finalizing plans and fundraising for donor opportunities tied to benches and paver inscriptions; staff were asked to continue outreach to local veterans’ organizations to seek broader consensus going forward.