Money To Restore Battleship Texas Won’t Come From Feds

You will no doubt recall that we brought the fact that the Battleship Texas will cost millions to rehabilitate to your attention a few weeks ago.

Now, a Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist notes that millions in federal earmarks that would have paid to get the rehabilitation off the ground has vanished from the federal budget.

The euphoria that washed across the decks of the Battleship Texas this summer — the knowledge that millions of federal dollars had been earmarked to begin its rehabilitation — has disappeared:

That money, $16 million, is gone. In the blink of an eye the Federal Highway Administration started a deadly domino effect by asking the Texas Department of Transportation to withhold $305 million in federal funds.

To meet the majority of that request, the department eliminated the Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program — the program that housed the battleship funding.

We also pointed this out last week as well.

What kind of shape is the ship in? Check this out:

The ship can no longer be towed to a dry dock for repairs. There is no facility along the Gulf Coast to do the work, and the ship’s structure is too weak to make the trip. It will have to come out of the water for repairs, and it must stay out to survive.

The new, dry cradle for the battleship had an estimated cost of $20 million; $16 million would come from the enhancement program, the rest from donations.

Parks and Wildlife has asked in its latest budget request for about $25 million to actually refurbish the ship.

Also, the Legislature approved more than $12 million in bonds to pay for renovations several years ago but never appropriated the funds. The department has asked for that money to be released as well. If they get it all, it still won’t be enough without the enhancement funding.

We addressed the issue of bonds that have been authorized but not appropriated earlier this summer.

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