Confederate Statue Move Up for Discussion

ROCKVILLE, MD — The controversial Confederate soldier monument remains outside the Red Brick Courthouse in Rockville as local officials continue discussions about moving it to a new location, but the issue will resurface this week.

Montgomery Community Media reports the statue is one of the items on the Rockville Historic District Commission’s agenda for Thursday, Dec. 17. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at Rockville City Hall and the Confederate monument is slated to be discussed at 9:15 p.m., according to the formal agenda.

County officials are requesting a Certificate of Approval so they can relocate the statue to the Beall Dawson House Historic Park at 103 West Montgomery Ave.

Confederate memorials have been the target of scorn after a man gunned down nine African-Americans in a Charleston, S.C. church last month. Dylan Roof posed with a Confederate battle flag in online photos and spoke of his desire for a new race war.

In July, the monument in Rockville was vandalized, with ”Black Lives Matter” and other graffiti spray painted on the base.

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If the city approves the move, David Dise, general services director for Montgomery County, said the county would pay for the cost of relocation and perform any work needed for the monument’s permanent setting. The monument’s long-term upkeep and maintenance would be the responsibility of the city of Rockville.

According to the background material for the meeting, HDC staff is recommending approval with two conditions. The conditions are that the Rockville Mayor and Council approve the use of the Beall Dawson Historic Park and that county officials must return to the HDC for the review of landscaping, illumination and interpretive signage.

Questions about how much the move will cost and when it will happen remain unanswered.

“We will proceed based on the results of that [Dec. 17] hearing,” Dise said. “Since the location is undetermined as yet we have no firm price quotes.”

»File photo of Confederate statue in Rockville