Open Letter To The SM City Council – Destruction Of A Historical Site In San Marcos

To the San Marcos City Council:                                                                                          August 16, 2016

Think about it, if you destroy the Capes Dam you will also be destroying the Thompson Falls & swimming hole and the Mill Run! Why?

Allowing 3 MINUTES before the SMCC tonight to present our arguments against the removal of the Capes Dam is wholly inadequate.  Fortunately, there were several very good speakers that addressed the many different issues at hand.  Unfortunately after listening to the Mayor’s summation and your legal counsel’s introduction to Mike Montagne one would conclude that your opinions are set and that you are not truly listening to your constituents.

You as the City Council have been negligent in not getting proper professional engineering, environmental and archaeological impact studies on the full impact of your decision to move forward with this project.  At least 2 of your Council members stated in your meeting on March 15^th that they would go with the science. Unfortunately, the science you have been presented with is grossly deficient.

The Thompson-Cape Dam and Ditch Engineering Structure (41HY164) has been determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.

The USFWS submitted a form requesting a review by the Texas Historical Commission under Section 106 and the State Antiquities Code for the demolition of the NRHP-listed Cape’s (41HY164) on the San Marcos River.  However, the US FWS ignored the request made by the Chairman of the Hays County Historical Society Kate Johnson to be copied on all correspondence.  The USFWS (Mr. Mike Montagne) and the City of San Marcos omitted the fact that the NRHP-eligible property was determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and tonight Mike Montagne accepted responsibility for that omission.

As stated on your request for SHPO Consultation, the City of San Marcos will be utilizing federal funds in the undertaking of the demolition of this NRHP-eligible historic Dam.  No matter how Mike Montagne tries to explain away the funding whether a grant or not.   Demolition of this historic dam would, in fact, be a direct, adverse impact upon an NRHP-eligible property.

Quite frankly you are doing things ass-backward!  Your science is faulty, Mike Montagne has a personal agenda to remove all dams in Texas (that’s his job).  You have not brought in the best available Marine Biologist to study the impact on the Fountain Darter or the top specialist to study the impact on the Texas Wild Rice. There is no record of the City requesting a NEPA report.

The letter from the THC clearly stipulates that the City of San Marcos must complete an Archaeological study on the Mill run before permits can be released.

Secondary to the preservation of the Thompson-Cape Dam and Ditch Engineering Structure an NRHP-eligible property, CTRH is committed to the preservation of the therapeutic aspects of the Thompson-Cape Dam and Ditch Engineering Structure for our Veterans that come up weekly from the Joint Base, Ft. Sam Houston, Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio to Kayak on the San Marcos Cape Dam Mill Run with the Olympic Outdoor Center.

CTRH has formally requested to be included as a “Consulting Party” in the Section 106 Review under the National Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, on any federal undertaking on the NRHP-eligible Thompson-Cape Dam and Ditch (41HY164) located in San Marcos, Hays County, Texas.

Yours in Service to our Veterans and Wounded Warriors,

James R. Clements

President

Central Texas Returning Heroes

512?574?6744

www.ctrh.us