CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A Wyoming state group approved a motion recommending lawmakers fund the restoration of a statue commemorating one of the state’s historic women, officials said.
The Capitol Building Restoration Oversight Group voted Wednesday to fund restoration of a statue of Esther Hobart Morris, The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports.
Morris was appointed the nation’s first female justice of the peace in 1870, serving 170 miles (274 kilometers) west of Casper in South Pass City.
The oversight group established in 2014 oversees an ongoing rehabilitation of the capitol and includes Republican Gov. Mark Gordon, the state treasurer and members of the Legislature.
Group Chairman Tony Ross noted there is currently no money in the budget for the restoration, but members approved a motion recommending the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee find the necessary funds.
The Morris statue in the capitol building extension needs restoration after being struck by cars multiple times in past decades, officials said.
Transportation and restoration costs would be about $20,000, Wyoming State Museum Director Mark Brammer said.
The statue will need to be moved to an out-of-state location to ensure restorations are done properly, Brammer said.
“The work that was done when it was hit by a car was not the best,” Brammer said.
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