Committee holds off on Fort 11 application; Bridal Field marker stored until library work finishes

Committee discussion turned to historical markers and markers-in-progress. Unidentified Speaker 4 said the Bridal Field state marker has been delivered and is currently stored at the Clay County Sign Shop; installation will be delayed until the Oakleaf library construction is complete to avoid risk of damage, an interval the speaker estimated at roughly 18 months to two years.

During discussion of Fort 11, members reported that a referenced Keystone Heritage book could not be located. Unidentified Speaker 5 said Tom Parham—the person expected to prepare the Fort 11 application—has faced health and family issues and asked for more time, saying he has found additional artifacts and is still working on the submission. Committee members agreed it would be reasonable to table the Fort 11 application or move to quarterly updates until Parham submits materials.

On an unrelated marker sign in Middleburg, Unidentified Speaker 4 presented a photo and said the committee could not find records of county ownership or maintenance of the Main Street sign near Palmetto. Members noted the sign was damaged and may sit on county or private property; options discussed included researching ownership, drafting county-standard replacement text, and potentially replacing the sign with a county marker if funding and ownership allow. Volunteers offered to help research text and contact the property owner.

The committee did not adopt new marker text or finalize replacement funding at the meeting; staff said they would research ownership and bring further information to a future agenda.