Conroe to build historic flag park

by Beth Kuhles, published May 6, 2010 12:41 pm, ultimateconroe.com

By early 2011, Conroe hopes to take its place in history with a park dedicated to the flags of the Texas Revolution.

The Conroe City Council approved a contract Thursday for the construction of the Lone Star Monument and Historical; Flag Park at Interstate 45 near Texas 105, which will serves as a beacon for the historical significance of Montgomery County and the area. Montgomery County is the birthplace of Texas’ Lone Star flag.

This is a historic day for the council and the city of Conroe,” declared Councilman Jay Ross Martin. With 250,000 cars that pass by daily, it could be the gift that keeps on giving…It’s an example of something that council can do today to get a revenue stream and stimulus for the city for years to come.”

The city hopes to link with Huntsville and Montgomery to provide a Texas Historic Trail through the area.

The park, which will be located on land next to the Montgomery County Central Library at 104 Interstate 45, will include a life-sized bronze statue of The Texian, representing the common man that volunteered for the Texas army, as well as the 13 flags flown during the Texas Revolution.

The contract to build the park was awarded to Fairweather Group for $385,355. A contract was previously awarded to local sculpture Craig Campobello for $57, 475 to design the Texian. The park also will include a bust of Charles B. Stewart, a Montgomery doctor credited with designing the Lone Star flag.

Up to $500,000 was set aside for the construction of the park in the city’s capital improvement budget, proceeds from a $6 million land sale to the Conroe Industrial Development Council for the expansion of Conroe Park North. Half of the funds were earmarked for new park development. The city also received $25,000 from the Houston Galveston Area Council toward development of the park.

City Administrator Paul Virgadamo said it is expected to take six to eight months to complete the park Councilwoman Marsha Porter initially balked at approving the contract, citing lagging sales tax revenues, but voted for the proposal after learning the money was earmarked from the land sale. Councilman Jim Gentry also expressed reservations about the funding in these tough economic times, but he also was included in the unanimous approval for the project.

Councilman Toby Powell said the park with be a big boom for education in the area. Hopefully, it will help the children and teaching them on field trips about the historical relevance of the flags,” Powell said. They can see it with their own eyes.” Land for the new park was donated by Montgomery County, which gave the city three years to develop the project or the tract would revert back to the county.

CONROE FLAG PARK

Conroe is building a park to commemorate the flag flown during the Texas Revolution. To learn more about the project, visit wwww.texasflagpark.org. The flags in the park will be those flown during the Texas Revolution, as it became a sovereign nation. Among the flags represented will be:

http://ultimateconroe.com/stories/2394-conroe-to-build-historic-flag-park