T.J. Tremmel 540-463-6163 James E. St. John Subject: Bridge of Lions, Mantanzas River Dear Mr. St. John, It was an honor to be granted consulting party status in the Section 106 process for the Bridge of Lions in September of 1999 by the Federal Highway Administration. This status continues as outlined in the executed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Bridge of Lions Rehabilitation Project dated 14 March 2002 by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Due process mandated by the MOA has not been fulfilled in relation to design review for the Bridge of Lions Rehabilitation project. Section 4.c. of the MOA states: ôThe consulting parties named in this MOA will also be afforded the opportunity to review and comment on the design plans.ö I have not been afforded this opportunity, but I would respectfully request to be afforded it at this time in relation to two significant finish design elements: the sidewalk railings and the traffic barriers at the curb line. Documentation indicates that the height of the rehabilitation project sidewalk railings were raised in the plans sometime around the 100% design phase. In the context of both historic preservation and current safety guidelines, the documented rationale for this design change is without merit and the wrong judgement for the historic rehabilitation of the Bridge of Lions. Please find attached my comment regarding this design change. At this time, the design specifications for the traffic barriers are not yet completed. Both consulting parties, the other being Save Our Bridge, Inc., reserve the status to review and comment on the barrier plan when the it comes available. I am very pleased that the work has commenced on the bridge, and thank you for your consideration in this process. Best Regards, cc: Fred Gaske, Florida State Historic Preservation Officer
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