Cost of Travis Park monument removal tops $250k

Largest expense was for company that moved statue, cannons

SAN ANTONIO – The cost of removing a Confederate monument and cannons from Travis Park exceeded the $147,775 paid to the company hired to do the work. It included other costs to the city that added more than $100,000 to the bill.

The City of San Antonio contracted Vault Fine Art Services to remove and transport the items to an undisclosed location with money from the city's Facilities Services Fund in the 2017 budget.

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The City Council voted Aug. 31 to remove the monuments, which had become the focus of protests. By 10 p.m., dozens of San Antonio police moved into the area around the park to clear out bystanders and shut down traffic. Fencing was brought in to keep people from getting into the park and near the removal crew's crane and other equipment. The work lasted well into the next day.

The police presence and resources added $104,000 to the tab. That covered police overtime, fencing, barricades and surveillance cameras, said Kelly Kapaun Saunders, a public relations manager for the City of San Antonio's Center City Development and Operations Department.

She also said it cost an additional $7,100 for other materials and staff.

"Funding for the police overtime and replanting was funded out of their respective departments budget," Saunders said.

City officials have not disclosed where the monuments are being stored. Council members have not discussed where to permanently place the monuments. That issue is not expected to be taken up until next year.