The historic Katy Depot will soon get something of a facelift in the form of new decking on the back porch, rear entrance and side entrance, as well as a handrail system to provide a greater margin of safety
The project was approved by Katy City Council during this week’s meeting.
The approval was contingent on an agreement between the Katy Heritage Society and the city’s parks and recreation department over “minor design issues” related to the handrails.
The work will include installation of all-composite decking, additional treated joists, the handrail system and demolition of the old deck. The handrail system is being added, in part, at the urging to the city’s insurance carrier to prevent the possibility of a person falling from the elevated dock area.
Funding in the amount of $48,390 is being provided by the city’s Convention and Tourism Bureau through its tourism grant program. The program uses money collected from the city’s hotel-motel tax to fund projects that will enhance tourism.
The grant was approved by the CTB at its Nov. 11 meeting but the project was tabled by city council on Nov. 23 to give the Heritage Society a chance to review the project.
Council Member Carol Adams, who also serves as executive director of the Heritage Society, made the motion to approve the project, but asked that council give the society time to work out a design for the handrail system that was more consistent with the appearance of the historic structure.
Mayor Don Elder and Mayor Pro-Tem Hank Schmidt urged Adams to have the society move as promptly because of the potential safety issue involved.
“I would hope that the (Heritage Society) board would move forward with all due haste,” Schmidt said.
Adams said she believed the Heritage Society could find an acceptable design shortly after the first of the year.
“I’ll do all I can to expedite it,” Adams said.
Finance Director Byron Hebert stressed any changes would also have to be negotiated with Specialty Construction, the company that submitted the project proposal to the tourism board. If any other contractor is used, the entire project would have to go back through the process again, he said.
(The tourism board) approved this amount of money with this company,” Hebert told the council.
The need for the handrail system came to light following an April inspection of city facilities by the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool, the city’s insurance carrier.
In a report to Hebert following the inspection, Senior Loss Prevention Representative Caroline DeYong said the lack of railing was a potential hazard.
“(A) railing should be installed around the perimeter of the deck at the Katy Depot to help prevent accidental falls due to the height elevation from the ground,” DeYong noted.
Adams pointed out the depot building already has gate restricting access to the deck, and that gate can be kept closed until the safety railing is installed.
