After the decision to relocate the Owensboro Confederate statue rather than outright remove it, the Monument Relocation Committee was formed.

The statue has stood on the Daviess County Courthouse lawn since 1900, but the 5-member committee met Tuesday to discuss where it should stand next.

"The main thing is public input and we really want that message to get out to people," Committee Chair Aloma Dew said. "It's not our desire -- it may end up not being, for instance my very favorite desire, I don't know, but it will be what we hear the most from with the most good reasoning."

The committee has already received around a dozen suggestions from community members as to where the monumnet should be re-homed, but it's waiting for more input before it makes a final recommendation to the Daviess County Fiscal Court.

The committee is emphasizing that the relocation of the monument is no longer in question, but rather where -- and why -- it should be moved.

"The decision has been made, the statue will be moved and so when comments come in saying 'Don't move it', those are just automatically disregarded," Dew said.

While it's still early stages, with no location decided on as of yet, the committee does agree on one thing.

"I don't want it to be put in a place where it can easily be destroyed," said committee member Anne Damron. "I'm not in favor of rewriting history -- it is what it is -- and for nothing else it's standing there to remind us: don't do that anymore."

The final recommendation is due by March 3, 2021, but Dew hopes a decision can be made before this year's end.