Garden project for courthouse stymied by issue with signs
- Charlene Sims, Journal staff
- May 26
- 6 min read
By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – There may be a question on whether a rivalry between directors of the Trading Post Museum and the Linn County Historical Society Museum in Pleasanton might be causing a stalemate on a beautification project in Mound City.
A plan to plant a flower garden on the Linn County Courthouse lawn by the Marais des Cygne Extension District master gardeners includes installation of some signs that were ordered last year. While Chasity Ware, county economic development director, was initially opposed to using the signs, there was an indication she would support installing the signs with some modifications during the commission meeting on Monday, May 12.
The same wasn’t true with Commissioner Alison Hamilton, who was adamantly opposed to using the signs.
Previous disagreements between Hamilton, whose family established the Trading Post Museum and where she has served as president and director, and Linn County Historical Society Director Theresa Miller and competition to create the signs may be a factor in the issue.
It would not be the first time that representatives of the Trading Post and Pleasanton museums would have clashed. A decades-old rivalry former curators of both museum was well known.
The flower garden originally proposed to the commission in November 2024 by the Register of Deeds Kristy Schmitz would have flowers around the old signs at the Linn County Courthouse.
According to Schmitz in a phone interview, the master gardener groups suggested that new signs be placed in the middle of the gardens. That way lawn maintenance personnel would not have to mow or weed around the signs. The caretakers of the flower beds would take care of the weeds at the base of the sign.
The master gardeners group approached Miller and asked if she would order new signs for the project. She agreed and the signs were ordered. When Schmitz took the bill for the signs into the county clerk’s office. Former clerk David Lamb asked Schmitz who had approved the purchase as there was no action by the commissioners to approve their purchase.
Schmitz then paid for the signs herself. Later, Miller paid for half of the signs.
Both Hamilton and Miller had offered to design historical signs for the courthouse lawn in the past. At that time, rather than the commissioners making the decision between the two offers, former commissioner Danny McCullough suggested that the decision be passed off to a subcommittee of the county's Economic Development Committee.
When the signs were delivered to the courthouse annex in last November, they were rejected.
“All of a sudden these signs have been made,” Ware told the commissioners in November. “They have somewhat been paid for, and they are asking for us to put them up with the master gardener design in the corner of the courthouse here. These were delivered to us last Thursday, and as I mentioned they are not a completed sign.”
At the May 12 meeting, Ware reminded the commissioners that when she first came on board working as economic development director, she was thrown to the wolves regarding the historical society signs for the courthouse lawn.
Ware told the commissioners that she wanted to update them on the sign and flower garden situation. She said that she had visited with Katelyn Barthol from the K-State Research and Extension at Paola, Marais des Cygnes District, and had learned more about that project.
Ware told the commissioners that the flower bed garden that was going in the northeast corner of the sidewalks in front of the courthouse had three phases to the project.
She explained that the master gardeners are currently in phase three right now but the project is on hold now because they don’t have enough volunteers to develop that garden in a timely manner. Until they do have the volunteers, they won’t begin on phase three.
Hamilton asked when they expected phase three to happen.
Ware told her that it could happen honestly anytime. They just had some individuals that are finishing their criteria to become a master gardeners who will be available to work on it.
“However, with that being said, the sign has to be set prior to them starting that project because they don’t want people in there after the native grasses and the plants are put in there potentially destroying them,” Ware explained. “I did ask for clarification in regards to that master garden and there is no fee to us. I was under the impression that we as the county purchased the flowers, the native grass, everything that was going in that, and that is incorrect.”
Ware explained that she felt the original concerns about the signs that were purchased were that they were not a complete sign and needed framing around them.
“So the plan amongst the historical society group that you have asked me to develop and we’ve been meeting regularly – as a matter of fact we meet again tomorrow – is that they will frame that sign that was purchased without approval in a wooden frame and have metal stakes put on the back of it to be put in the ground because it will have to be concreted into the ground,” she said. “So I guess I’m asking how you would like for me to move forward with that. If you would like us to move forward with putting that sign once it’s completed with a wooden frame around it to somewhat tie into the wood that is currently at that sign or what you’d like for me to do.”
“I’m not in favor of moving forward with the sign,” Hamilton said. “I feel like we’re headed in the right direction with marketing and a branding campaign. We’re getting ready to get a new website.
“I wanted to look into logos. I wanted to look into color schemes, a font package, all of that. So what I was always hearing from you is that we were going to start with the website. Starting with the website. OK, we’re starting with the website but honestly the marketing and the branding for the county needs to be simultaneously happening.”
“The branding is started,” Ware replied. “I have met with two counties that just recently got theirs approved. Hutchinson County is the one I just finished visiting with on Friday. They just approved theirs in March. It’s a lengthy process so that is not going to happen even probably in the next six months.
“So, I just do want you guys to know that. It is a lengthy process because there has got to be a lot of involvement from the county. This is not a decision I get to make on my own or even just with the three of you. I wanted you to know that process has been started, and it will be a lengthy process. But it’s coming.”
“I just feel like those signs need to be replaced,” Hamilton said. “Let’s just get away from historical signs. You have a website coming into play. We’re going out to RFP (request for proposals) again. You have to have a font package. You have to have your colors. You have to have like your Pantone colors have to be picked out and if you’re going to change your logo you need to do that with a professional company.”
Ware replied, “If you are wanting to wait until the branding aspect is complete I am more than happy to do that.
“I think that what the patrons need to understand as well is we are not saying that we cannot use that sign. That sign can altered. What I mean by that is that we can eventually add whatever logo or brand that we choose in the bottom corner or somewhere on it and make it an official Linn County approved sign.”
Hamilton said she was just not in favor of it. She reminded Ware that she had told her about Lark Label, which would do the printing, installation and offered a lifetime warranty for $3,000. Hamilton said she felt like the county would have that much in the signs after they were framed in and installed.
The use of Wichita-based Lark Signs has not been discussed by the commission in open meeting.
Ware suggested that this decision be tabled until she found out more about the master gardeners’ about their time frame.
Commissioner Johnson and Hightower did not commit to any decision about the project.
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