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Consideration of and action on selecting an option (repair, replace, remove) the Pratt Truss Bridge structure at the Battleground Golf Course.
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Summary:
The Pratt Truss Bridge located at the Battleground Golf Course was originally constructed in 1891 in Coryell County, Texas. The bridge is a 90-foot-long metal pin-connected Pratt through truss. It was built by the Clinton Bridge and Iron Company of Clinton, Iowa, and is the only known bridge built by this company remaining in Texas. The bridge was relocated in the mid-1990's from Coryell County to the Battleground Golf Course as part of an Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) transportation enhancement project. The ISTEA grant application for the project included $100,000 in federal funds and a $25,000 local match from the City.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by the Federal Highway Administration, the Texas State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and TxDOT in late 1994, indicates that these three parties agreed to the relocation of the bridge to the Battleground Golf Course. According to the MOA, at the time of the bridge relocation, the City of Deer Park was to sign a separate "preservation and maintenance agreement" subject to review and comment by the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). The City of Deer Park and the Texas Historic Commission (THC) have been unable to locate a copy of this agreement. However, subsequent to the February 20, 2018 Council Workshop, and as a result of receipt of an open records request, the City's Public Works staff have found the "Agreement for the Acquisition of the Historical Bridge" that was executed between the City of Deer Park and Coryell County in 1995. This agreement contains a clause that states that the recipient (City of Deer Park) agrees to preserve and maintain the bridge and the features that give it its historic significance.
Since being relocated to the Battleground Golf Course, the bridge has been used for gol...
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