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City Council Meeting Minutes January 29, 2019 <br />labor actually made possible the spectacular, unearned wealth of the <br />Thompsons, for generations to follow. <br />Many of you have visited the Cephas House, across from the Calaboose <br />Museum. It was Mr. Thompson who purchased Joe Cephas from a slave <br />auction in New Orleans and brought him against his will to San Marcos. <br />Later, Mr. Cephas, a blacksmith, would help construct the water -wheel used on <br />Cape's Dam sluiceway. <br />I don't care how you vote to acknowledge the history of this dam & mill race, <br />but I implore this body and the community at large to be truthful about the <br />reality behind its existence. <br />If we are going to recognize local history in an honest way, then we must admit <br />the ugly legacy that violent white supremacy has played in San Marcos. But <br />white supremacy continues to persist when we irresponsibly re -write history in <br />a way to conveniently overlook that trauma & violence, and choose instead to <br />erase the individuals whose reprehensible bondage was truly the backbone of <br />the early San Marcos economy." <br />Cathy Dillon, stated that she and her husband moved here in 1984. Most <br />weekends were dedicated to canoeing and enjoying the river. They later opened <br />a Historical Hotel in downtown and over the last 35 years they have continued <br />spending a lot of time on the river and have brought thousands of people to <br />the river and to this town. Tourism is their life. She stated that Capes Dam <br />must stay, is is the original industrial complex in San Marcos and we must <br />acknowledge this. This area deserves more than just a marker the dam was <br />built to divert water in order to grind grain. This dam mattered to the origins <br />of this town. Of course there are details that need to be discussed and worked <br />out, but the whole dam complex is eligible for historic designation. Why would <br />we not designate. She stated history matters. <br />Dianne Wassenich, spoke as a representative of the San Marcos River <br />Foundation. She has written Council regarding what she feels is important. In <br />hearing those that spoke tonight she believes they have very limited <br />information and misinformation has been put out there. We have history lying <br />all around Rio Vista dam, the gears, the mill race. This is all about keeping the <br />dam. The public needs to understand that the dam is harmful, the species are <br />in danger, that spot gets hot because the river is split. Bacterial levels are high. <br />This sediment piles up and creates shallow mushy areas above the dam. The <br />island is being washed away. All these issues need to be addressed. It doesn't <br />City of San Marcos Page 10 <br />