Artwork discussed for center

What artwork placed on the walls at the new Sweetwater County Justice Center will be left up to the departments moving into it.

During the Sweetwater County Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Wally Johnson started a discussion in regards to what type of artwork should be placed on the walls in the new justice center.

Johnson said he knows some of the artwork from the 333 Broadway location will be moved into the new facility and placed on the walls in common areas of the center, but the artwork for the various departments wasn’t discussed.

It was his suggestion to leave the choice of artwork on the walls up to the those departments relocating to the center. He asked the other commissioners what they thought about his suggestion.

“I’m in favor of that. They have to live in that space and they’re in a better position to know what they might like in there,” Chairman Reid West said. “I do think that we are to expend some funds, in that regard, to essentially finish the project.”

West said if the commissioners need to amend the various departments’ budgets to get that done, then that’s what they will have to do. He wanted to know if they should limit the amount for the artwork purchases or wait and see what the departments pick out.

Johnson was in favor of the wait-and-see approach.

“I like the concept. I’d like to reserve the right that we actually see what the end product is,” Commissioner John Kolb said. “Who knows what they want to put in there?”

Kolb said he just didn’t want it left up to just anything.

“Some things might not be appropriate,” he said.

Commissioner Randy Wendling said when looking at the building as they exist now, whoever was responsible for the artwork in those did a good job and the artwork was appropriate for the area it was located in.

Wendling said the leaders in those departments are responsible in making sure the artwork is appropriate.

“I like the concept of us providing some funding, that type of thing,” Wendling said. “I think we can leave it up to those people and hope that they can do it in a responsible way and leave it at that.”

West said he didn’t know what the department’s timelines were like, but he was hoping the artwork would be up on the walls before the county has its grand opening for the building.

The commissioners decided to leave it up to the departments to pick out the artwork and come back to the commission with how much it will cost.