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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 08/19/2019APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2019 8:00 P.M. CITY CENTER 8080 MITCHELL RD HPC COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Olson-Chair; Tara Kalar-Vice Chair; Pamela Spera; Valerie Ross; Paul Thorp; Shanti Shah; Cheryl Kessler COMMISSION STAFF: David Lindahl, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Absent were commission members Kalar and Shah. Connor McGrath and Eden Prairie resident Norm Rogers joined the meeting. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Ross moved, seconded by Kessler to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5- 0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Kessler to approve the amended minutes of the July 15, 2019 meeting with language under Fall Harvest Festival changed from “scavenger” to “history” hunt with signs “developed by the HPC.” Motion carried 5-0. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. PUBLIC HEARING – C.O.A. CAMP EDEN WOOD LION’S DEN McGrath presented a PowerPoint and described the building improvements to the lap siding, windows, doors, soffit and fascia, and handrails and deck boards. All upgrades were to be designed to match in style and finish the newly constructed Berglund Center near the Lion’s Den. The pre-finished 30-year Smart LP lap siding would have a 30-year warranty and be durable. The windows would be the Anderson 400 Series, and the doors would be Bayer built, the soffit and fascia would be pre-finished aluminum, and the hand- and deck rails would be pre- finished cedar which would be finished after being installed. He anticipated receiving comments from SHPO. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 19, 2019 Page 2 Thorp asked if the brick veneer would be taken out, and McGrath replied it would, as it did not match. Thorp asked for and received confirmation the City Council would probably approve the true cedar boards. Olson stated the reason the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) was involved was due to a grant received by True Friends that required its oversight. Olson read the staff recommendation: “staff recommends approval of the upgrades to the exterior of the Lion’s Den cabin, including siding, windows, doors and ADA ramp, on the site within the boundaries of the Glen Lake Children’s Camp National Register Historic District property. Stated Historic Preservation Office approved the updates, as long as they are similar in style and color as the other updated building on the site. Letter dates May 29, 2019 is included with this report.” MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Kessler and Ross to close the public hearing. Motion carried 5-0. MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Spera to recommend approval to the City Council of the Certificate of appropriateness application COA 2019-03-14 for the upgrading of exterior materials, including siding, windows and doors and ADA ramp, approved by the Heritage Preservation Commission and the State Historic Preservation Office. Motion carried 5-0. V. OLD BUSINESS A. PEOPLEFEST UPDATE Thorp summarized the event: the HPC had a booth with displays. Kessler displayed the inflated globes with the lines drawn to represent their travels to the United States and she and Thorp described several of the journeys residents took. The globes proved to be popular. Kessler stated the family tree was also popular among young children who could fill out generations back to their great- grandparents. Ross stated the map overlays from 1859,1879, 1890, and the current map were used to show residents how their land corresponded to earlier land settlers. B. FALL HARVEST CELEBRATION Ross stated there would be a meeting in September and the City, the HPC, and the Historical Society were planning a number of activities outside the Dorenkemper House, including using the Peoplefest display with the maps and globes, people dressed in costume, old-fashioned games, a display, and a history hunt with six interpretive signs for residents to turn in to win an afghan showing all of Eden Prairie’s historic properties. She need commission members to think about volunteering for this event, which would be held on October 5, 2:00-5:00 p.m. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 19, 2019 Page 3 The City was also offering horse-drawn carriage rides, pumpkin decorating, food vendors, and other activities. VI. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. 2019 STATEWIDE HISTORIC PRESERVATION CONFERENCE Kessler and Spera volunteered to attend. Discussion followed on the logistics of travel and reimbursement. Olson offered to forward an email from Michael Koop. Lindahl reminded the commission of the scholarship for the registration and offered to confirm the procedure. VII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY Ross announced the movie Stalag Luft 3 would be shown on August 23 at Wings of the North. The Society was making good progress on the Smith Douglas Moore House timeline, which would be displayed as a large poster by the door. Thorp displayed a font size example. The Cummins House would host a series of events for non-profits, such as the League of Women Voters, a Rotary luncheon, and the Chris Wivholm Foundation. The Vintage Sale would be held November 1 and 2. Santa would be coming in late November, and the Sharing Tree event was November 30. Thorp stated the inventory of historic properties in Eden Prairie is missing some properties, such as the Gunnar Electric Site across from Smith Coffee Shop. The pump islands for the 1920s-30s gas station in the house and/or the garage should be documented before destruction. Lindahl offered to arrange access. Discussion followed on the location of the pump islands. Thorp recommended that every commissioner have or read an out-of-print book, Heritage: Preserving Eden Prairie’s Past by Daniel Hoisington who helped to form the commission. VIII. FYI ITEMS A. GRANT APPLICATION FOR CUMMINS HOUSE UPSTAIRS WORK Lindahl stated Lori Creamer submitted the application on July 25. There was an iterative process between now and the deadline on September 30. City Manager Rick Getschow was the point person. Olson recommended Kessler as an experienced grant writer. Thorp recommended Kathie Case for “nuts and bolts” questions. B. COUNCIL WORKSHOP – JOINT MEETING WITH HISTORICAL SOCIETY/HPC TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2019 5:00 P.M. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 19, 2019 Page 4 Ross and Lindahl stated the meeting went very well. Thorp stated the Historic Society was well-represented. Lindahl stated it was a positive introduction of projects in progress, and the City Council was interested and engaged. Thorp was able to present on his research on the Yorkville/Bloomington Trail. Discussion followed on the site. Lindahl received the report from McDonald & Mack with the package recommending it be designated locally. The commission would review, Douglas Mack would attend September meeting and present the report, and then there would be a public hearing. It would be a six-month process at least. Ross stated City Council member Mark Freiberg expressed willingness to have the City fund upstairs renovation of Cummins House in case the grant currently being sought did not come through. Also, Ron Case mentioned thinking about having City staff hired on a part-time basis to focus on historical preservation. C. GROUND WATER RESERVOIR – INTEPRETIVE PANEL & MAPS Lindahl presented a PowerPoint and stated he was asked by Public Works Director Robert Ellis to share information regarding the ground water reservoir being built. He detailed the need to accommodate future clean water needs and showed how the configuration was mostly underground. The pump house was designed to look like the original depot and would include an interpretive element for visitors coming from the regional trail. The HPC was being asked to come up with the interpretive panel content and could determine its level of involvement. An old railroad map would be displayed inside and outside of the building. Discussion followed on a possible series of grant applications needed for research, content, the proper amount of text, and actual fabrication. Lindahl agreed to speak to Ellis about next steps and a timeline for construction and interpretive installation. IX NEXT MEETING The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, September 16, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in Prairie Rooms A & B. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Ross moved, seconded by Spera to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:21 p.m.