Proposed Enhancements to Covert Park at Mount Bonnell

Presentation outlining proposed enhancements to Covert Park at Mount Bonnell in Austin Texas. The proposals were rejected by the review committee, which was headed by the owner of a competitive architectural firm.

1. CITY OF AUSTIN CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS DISCUSSION
Name of historic property: Covert Park at Mount Bonnell
Address of historic property: 3800 Mount Bonnell Road; Austin, TX Brief description of proposed work:
0. Remove, restore and display 1938 marker in City Museum (PARD)
1. Install Replica of 1938 marker on site
2. Install new landscaping and amenities around marker
APPLICANT:
West Point Society of Central Texas, representing Covert Family of Austin,
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APPLICANT:
West Point Society of Central Texas, representing Covert Family of Austin,
Austin Parks Foundation (ACL Grant Committee), and Friends of Mount Bonnell OWNER: City of Austin ARCHITECT : O’Connell Robertson, Austin CONTRACTOR: KC Construction, Georgetown
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2. Founded in 1802, West Point is the nation’s oldest eng ineering 
school. The West Point Association of Graduates was  founded in 
1869. West Point Societies exist to further the ideals  of the Military 
Academy, to perform community outreach, and to assi st with 
Academy admissions. 
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In 2010, the West Point Society of Central Texas adop ted  Covert 
Park at Mount Bonnell and began improvement project s under the 
Austin Parks and Recreation Department Adopt-A-Park  program. 
There are over 600 West Point graduates in the Austin  area.
Contacts: 
Stan Bacon
WPSCT , Class of 1958 
[email protected] 512-345-5964
Fred Bothwell
WPSCT, Class of 1962
[email protected] 512-635-4433
11/14/2011

3. WEST POINT SOCIETY OF CENTRAL TEXAS
“ADOPTED” COVERT PARK IN 2010
MOUNT BONNELL/COVERT PARK PROJECTS
2010-2011
•PARD Adopt-a-Park Agreement signed.
•Supported Austin Oyster Urban Adventure Race.
•Service Austin Days Fall Clean-up, 33 volunteers a nd 2 firefighters.
•Used $1500 APF grant to restore views with PARD and community support
•
Raised funds for base of new kiosk in Covert Park
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•
Raised funds for base of new kiosk in Covert Park
•My Parks Day, APF, 23 volunteers.
•Clean Sweep, KAB, 31 volunteers.
•Supported Austin Oyster Urban Adventure Race.
•Received KAB grant of $850 to apply to Kiosk Base payment.
•Planned Clean-up w/Central Texas Mountaineers.
•Service Austin Days Fall Clean-up
.
MOUNT BONNELL WEB SITE MAINTAINED BY WEST POINT SOCIETY
http://www.west-point.org/joseph_bonnell/mount_bonnell
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4. PRELIMINARY CONCEPTUAL MEETING
OBJECTIVES
REVIEWcurrent proposal of the Friends of Mount Bonnell an d the West Point Society of Central
Texas for $100,000+ gift to the city of Austin in s upport of restoration and improvement of Covert
Park at Mount Bonnell.
DISCUSS How WPSCT can improve likelihood of being awarded Certificates of Appropriateness
for proposed Covert Park projects:
•Installation of replica Covert Marker, funded by C overt family
•Landscaping and other amenities
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THE PROPOSED GIFT:
$116,630 ($73,370 cash plus $43,260 in-kind support)
The West Point Society, in cooperation with the Cov ert family, APF, the Austin City Limits Music
Festival, O’Connell Robertson of Austin, KC Constru ction of Georgetown, and other Friends of
Mount Bonnell, proposes to give to the citizens of Austin gifts with a value in excess of $100,000,
comprised as follows:
•~$20,000 donated by the Covert Family plus additi onal funding from Friends of Mount
Bonnell and the West Point Society of Central Texas
•$44,000+ in professional services and labor donat ed by O’Connell Robinson, KC
Construction, and others
•$50,000 in matching funds granted by Austin Cit y Limits and the Austin Parks Foundation
•Other in-kind support provided by PARD
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5. THE PROPOSED PROJECT
PART ONE – COVERT MARKER: $28,000 plus in-kind support
•Removal of the existing 1938 marker to a site wher e it can be restored, protected from the
elements, and preserved indefinitely (at PARD expen se)
•Erection of a granite replica of the original 1938 marker, donated by the Covert family,
commemorating and rededicating the previous Covert family gift of the park and the 1938
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commemorating and rededicating the previous Covert family gift of the park and the 1938 marker.
PART TWO - DAIS: $38,700 plus in kind support:
•Landscaping and additional amenities around the marker, final design in cooperation with
PARD.
•APF has informally announced the award of an ACL grant in the amount of $32,745 for the sole
purpose of implementing PART TWO of the plan, pending resolution of the marker status.
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6. MOUNT BONNELL
•“The Best View in Austin”
•One of the most popular sightseeing destinations i n the city:
•775 feet above sea level.
COVERT PARK
•5.36 acre City park at summit of Mount Bonnell
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•Donated to Travis County for use as a public park in
1938-39 by Covert family of Austin
•Deeded in memory of Frank M. Covert, Sr., by
Clarence Covert and F. M. Covert, Jr
•Marker erected in 1938
•Deeded to city of Austin in 1972
•Adopted by West Point Society of Central Texas in 2010
11/14/2011

7. Marker is no
longer
vertical
COVERT PARK MARKER CONDITION:1938-2011
1938 2010
2008 2010
Marker is
disintegrating
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8. 8
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9. 9
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11. FACTS:
•The public, as reflected in the views of the neigh borhood associations, the Friends
of Mount Bonnell, and the grant committees of the A ustin Parks Foundation and
Austin City Limits support the WPSCT proposal.
•The original 1938 limestone marker commemorating the Covert family gift of the
park to Travis County has deteriorated, a possible matter of “Demolition by Neglect”
Ch 25-11-211(6)
•It is in the interest of history that the original marker be restored, preserved, and
protected from future damage.
•The Covert family has agreed to fund the installation of a durable replica of
the original Covert marker so that the original may be restored, preserved
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the original Covert marker so that the original may be restored, preserved and protected from future damage.
Installation of a replica would allow the original marker to be
removed, repaired, restored, and displayed in a sui table, protected
environment in a city museum or public building, as in the case of
many other historic artifacts: the Rosetta Stone, T he Stone of
Scone, the Elgin Marbles, etc.
11/14/2011

12. Over 70 years ago, the Covert family of Austin, the n owners of
the tract of land on which Mount Bonnell stands, ga ve the
summit of the mountain to the people of Travis Coun ty for use
by residents and visitors. Known as Covert Park at Mount
Bonnell, the site was dedicated in memory of the fa mily patriarch,
Frank M. Covert, Senior.
Now in their sixth generation in Central Texas, the
Covert family continues in their civic-minded
tradition, playing an important role in support for local charitable
organizations and the restoration of the pre-Civil War
Carrington-Covert House (1857)
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Carrington/Covert House in Austin, now headquarters for the
Texas Historical Commission.
The Covert family would like to see the 1938 marker protected from further
deterioration, to be replaced on site with a more d urable granite replica of
the original marker, funded by the Coverts.
Restored by Covert family, now occupied
By Texas Historical Commission
11/14/2011

13. Objects with historic significance may be placed in p rotective enclosures….
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PLYMOUTH ROCK (1620)
MASSACHUSETTS, USA
SUENO’S STONE (800-900 AD)
FORRES, SCOTLAND
Sueno's Stonestands about 21 feet high.
It is the largest surviving Pictish stone of
its type in Scotland
.
In the early 1990s the
stone was encased in armored glass to
prevent erosion.
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14. THE ROSETTA STONE (196 B.C)
British Museum, UK
STELE OF NARAM
-
SIN (2450 B.C.)
....or displayed in museums
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STELE OF NARAM
-
SIN (2450 B.C.)
Mesopotamia
On display in The Louvre, Paris
ELGIN MARBLES
5
TH
CENTURY B.C.
Removed from Parthenon
1801-1812. Put on display
in the British Museum,
planned for return to
Acropolis Museum in
Athens
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15. The original historic artifact may be placed in a pro tected location…. THE STONE OF SCONE (1249 A.D.?)
Original Stone in Westminster Abby
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REPLICA STONE OF SCONE
at original site at
Moot Hill, Scotland
REPLICA ROSETTA STONE
at original site at
Rosetta (el-Rashid) Egypt
….AND A REPLICA INSTALLED AT THE ORIGINAL SITE
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16. CONSIDERATIONS:
•If allowed, Covert family gift can set an example to encourage other
sources of private funding for city improvement projects, e .g., Waller
Creek development.
•If disallowed, it may prevent any proposed enhancement s, due to
APF/ACL matching grant requirements.
•
If installed in an unprotected outdoor location, can fu ture
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•
If installed in an unprotected outdoor location, can fu ture
deterioration of the 1938 marker be prevented? For ho w long?
11/14/2011

17. How can WPSCT improve likelihood of being awarded
Certificates of Appropriateness for proposed Covert Park p rojects?
DISCUSSION
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•PARD removal and restoration of original Covert Marker ,
to be displayed in City Museum
•Installation of replica Covert Marker
•Landscaping and other amenities
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18. BACKUP CHARTS
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BACKUP CHARTS
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19. MUSEO NACIONAL DE ANTROPOLOGIA, Mexico City
MEXICA EXHIBIT ROOM
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Reproduction of the Tikal Stela
(250 – 650 A.D.)
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20. •Established in 1950: Award-winning Austin-based,
architectural/engineering/interior design firm
•. Specializes in education, healthcare, and sports facility design
•Known for developing innovative design solutions
•Won statewide competition for design of Texas 9/11 Memorial
Covert Park Planning Support 2010
-
2011
ARCHITECTURAL PLANS AND PROJECT SUPPORT: O’CONNELL ROBERTSON:
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Covert Park Planning Support 2010
-
2011
•Estimated value of pro bono support to date: ~$10 ,000
•OCR design staff site visits to Mount Bonnell
•Joint design conferences and site study
•Preliminary design concept and presentations
•Plan reviews with Covert family, PARD, WPSCT, FOMB
•Plan amendments and cost estimates, bids, renderings, continuing,
ongoing support
11/14/2011

21. ARCHITECTURAL PLANS AND PROJECT SUPPORT: O’CONNELL ROBERTSON:
REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS
•The Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, North End Zone Expansion
•Texas State University Baseball/Softball Complex Enhan cements
•New University of Texas Softball Training Facility
•New Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Residence Hall
•New Texas A&M University McFerrin Indoor Athletic Center A/E
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11/14/2011

22. TEXAS STATE CEMETERY 9/11 MEMORIAL, AUSTIN
•The Texas State Cemetery 9/11
monument is dedicated to all Texans who
died during the September 11 terrorist
attacks
•Commissioned in 2002, numerous designs
were submitted from artists, architects and
private citizens from around the state.
ARCHITECTURAL PLANS AND PROJECT SUPPORT: O’CONNELL ROBERTSON:
http://www.oconnellrobertson.com/
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•The final design by O’Connell,
Robertson and Associates of Austin
was chosen by the Governor’s Office
and the Texas State Cemetery
Committee.
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23. PAST PROJECTS (New Construction/Site Remediation)
Williamson County Parks
UT Wetlands Education Center and Park
Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas
RECENT CUSTOMERS Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD)
City of Austin
Austin Energy
GENERAL CONTRACTOR AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
KC CONSTRUCTION COMPANY OF GEORGETOWN
Eric Klingemann, West Point ’95, President
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Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas Travis County East Metro Park
Communication Tower Sites
Water Treatment Plant Physical Security
Improvements
Parking Lot Improvements
Water Treatment Plant Construction
Drainage Channel Construction
Detention Pond Construction
Drainage Culvert Construction
Water Meter Vault
Austin Energy Travis County
Williamson County
City of Georgetown
City of Cedar Park
City of Taylor, TX
City of Rogers, TX Housing Authority
Williamson County MUD #10
Newland Communities of Texas (TeraVista)
Woodlawn Condominiums Home Owners
Association
KB-CK Limited Partnership
Oak Bluff Estates, Round Rock, TX
Forest Creek, Round Rock, TX
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24. PHASE ONE:
REPLACE BROKEN HISTORIC MARKER
BROKEN EXISTING LIMESTONE MARKER PROPOSED GRANITE REPLICA
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PHASE TWO:
ENHANCE VISITOR FACILITIES: CREATE PAVED DAIS
EXISTING MARKER AREA PROPOSED DAIS AND SEATING SPACE
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