The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About06 El Camino Real Committee Agenda 03.06.2009 41.0 CITY OF COLLEGE STATION EL CAMINO REAL DE LOS TEJAS COMMITTEE AGENDA March 6, 2009 City of College Station Conference Center, Room #103 1300 George Bush Drive 1:30 p.m. 1. Introduction of attendees — Anne Boykin, Heritage Programs, City of CS 2. Efforts to include all interested parties — Anne Boykin 3. Briefing of ECR project history — David Gerling, PARD, City of CS 4. Report of first meeting of February 6, 2009 — Henry Mayo, Chairman, Brazos County Historical Commission 5. Status of budget and property discussions with the City of College Station — Tony Cisneros, Director of PARD, City of CS 6. Challenge Cost Share Program — David Gerling 7. Report on TxDOT — Barbara Althaus, Brazos County Historical Commission 8. Reports from organizations represented 9. National Park Service & Stone Fort Museum Workshop on ECR — Barbara Althaus 10. Scheduling of next meeting — Anne Boykin 1sT' "gir F 017:44 P �t y El Camino Real de los Tejas was a conduit for trade, migration, and settlement across Texas. Now a national historic trail, El Camino Real helped to establish settlement patterns that continue to the present. 2/25/2009 City of College Station 1/1 El Camino Real Project Time line Brazos County Fall of 2008 — Henry Mayo was surveying land for the City of College Station and identified what he thought was reminisces of the EL CAMINO REAL de los Tejas. After some research he determined that is was very possibly a section of the original road bed. The National Park Service (NPS) was notified, and this project for Brazos County started to move. January 13, 2009 - At least 25 people from Brazos County met the National Park Service investigators on the site to talk about support for tourist facilities on OSR, called El Camino Real de los Tejas. The meeting was very successful and the committee received good information about what they need to do and the process that NPS follows. It was also learned that several other communities along the route were also working on some sort of marker or designation for their community. NPS said that this is one of the better preserved sites that they had seen, " a real jewel ". January 28, 2009 — The committee was notified that a local Boy Scout was interested in clear the original road bed as part of his Eagle Scout project. That is currently going through the approval channels of both the BSA and City of College Station. February 3, 2009 — College Station staff met to look at legalities and possible "road blocks" in the project. Nothing was noted that would prevent this project from moving forward. Be mind full that this property, owned by the City of College Station, is in the Bryan Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). February 4, 2009 - Barbara Althaus, with the Brazos County Historical Commission, put together a chronology of the trail in Brazos County. February 6, 2009 — The first meeting of the El Camino Real de los Tejas - Planning Group. February 18, 2009 — NPS forwarded information on a "Challenge Cost Share Program" where a matching grant can be applied for (up to $25,000). The City of College Station is looking into the possibility of matching monies for the grant process. March 6, 2009 — Second meeting of the planning group. March 6 -8, 2009 — Several of the planning group will be attending the National Historic Trails Conference in Nacogdoches to learn more about this project. OSR Joint Meeting March 2009 Prepared by Barbara Althaus Texas Department of Transportation In working up a chronology of OSR, I discovered that TxDOT was directed in 1991 by the Texas Legislature to identify the disposition of OSR, to develop a historic preservation plan, and prepare a comprehensive report. After the 1991 study, the state adopted a comprehensive preservation plan, which called for continued efforts to study the road, preserve existing artifacts, and to develop educational and tourist materials to publicize the road's history, i.e., the beautiful and informative El Camino Real brochure in cooperation with the Texas Historical Commission. Tracking down who to contact in TxDOT, I talked to my neighbor, Jay Page, Associate Area Engineer in the Bryan Area Office. He suggested I contact Karl Nelson, Area Engineer, and Maury Jacobs and gave me Maury's email address. Jay also told me we needed to keep in mind TxDOT's rule that driveways may not be closer than 425 ft on state highways. He also said he had all the papers related to the Providence Church site and explained how TxDOT had become involved in that historic site. On February 26, Karl Nelson and I talked on phone re ECR /OSR. He is most interested in what is going on and will be glad to work with us. He said where he can be useful is if we need any large stones moved -- to contact him since he has the machinery to do that work. But for the OSR project, he suggests we contact Maury Jacob, who is an historian and landscape architect. He said Maury can help with design and costs. I did not ask him if TxDOT has any budget funds which might be used for this project or for an educational brochure about the Brazos County OSR site. Karl Nelson 979 - 778 -9240 Jay Page 979 - 778 -9232 Maury Jacob 979 - 778 -9798, mlacob@dot.state.tx.us Maurice Maness, Brenham TxDOT, 979 - 836 -9359, who worked on Providence Site. Providence Site was dedicated last year and is located on road to Easterwood Airport just before you enter the airport circular drive and after you leave Hwy 50. The Richard Carter historic site in College Station is another well done interpretive historical park. It also has an open plan and very interesting educational exhibits on historical development in the area. National Park Service & Stone Fort Museum Workshop on ECR Susan Boyle, National Park Service, Santa Fe, has politely corrected me on a couple of subjects. One is that she will remain our contact and not the NPS rep at TAMU. I got that wrong. Sorry. The other is that she, the park service, has not yet completed the Comprehensive Mgmt Plan for our area of OSR so pls disregard the old copy which Henry found. I can tell in working with Susan Boyle that she is very interested in helping us develop OSR in any way she can. She says she is very busy with other sites, and I believe her since she is responsible for all historic trails. Yet she always finds time to correspond and answer our questions. We are looking forward to hearing her talk at the workshop March 7 & 8 in Nacogdoches. This will be a "workshop exclusively for the heritage tourism professional" and to explore the El Camino National Historic Trail. Susan's segment will be on "Developing a Comprehensive Management Plan...." Other talks include GIS Research Methods and Mapping Tools, Natural Communities of ECR by a Migratory Bird Management Specialist, American Indian and European Interaction at Mission Dolores, Research Work, Integrating ECR into an Interpretive Plan, and Identifying Needs and components of Successful Marketing. Visits will be made to Stone Fort Museum, San Augustine, Lobanilla Cuts - an extant trace of ECR, Forestry Building in Nacogdoches. Attending from Brazos County are: Anne Boykin, City of College Station, and Brazos County Historical Commission Barbara Althaus, Brazos County Historical Commission, and DAR Doris Emshoff, DRT, UDC Ann Kellett, DRT, DAR Barret Lyne, independent developer Maureen Winn, Robertson County Historical Commission Barbara Althaus Brazos County Historical Commission March 6, 2009