After several years of study and committee work, the Amherst County Board of Supervisors voted to accept the monument committee’s recommended interpretive sign and authorized up to $5,500 in county funds for placement in a grassy area near the courthouse monument.

The committee reported it consulted historians, visited other counties and universities, and developed recommended language and a mock-up graphic. Brooke Vanderveld, a committee member, said the Department of Historic Resources reviewed the proposed sign and called it "excellent and could be a model for other counties." Several committee members and public commenters described the process as deliberative and diverse.

Board discussion focused on placement, funding and the risk of proliferating plaques across public spaces. Some members said they expected private funding for any new plaque because the original monument had been privately funded; other supervisors argued that a modest county contribution would help bring closure to a multi-year effort. Supervisor Tom Martin moved that the board accept the committee recommendation, specify the grassy area to the right of the monument as the approximate location, and authorize up to $5,500 from county funds to pay for the sign; the motion passed.

The committee members present said they had not been informed previously that county funding might be required. The board apologized for any miscommunication and said staff would work with committee members on final placement and compliance with local zoning requirements.

Next steps: staff will coordinate final siting, verify dimensions and zoning constraints with the town of Amherst, and proceed with production and installation under the $5,500 limit.