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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 02/24/2020APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2020 7:00 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 Amanda Pellowski, Administrative Assistant STUDENT MEMBERS: Maia Chavez; Ellyse Ferlauto; Lilly Hyland; Aditya Nandhiyar I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Commission members Ross, Kalar, Kessler and student representative Hyland were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Spera to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4- 0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Shah moved, seconded by Thorp to approve the amended minutes from the meeting on January 21, 2020, with one change to the first sentence of section 6B: remove Wahlen and add Getschow. Motion carried 4-0. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. REVIEW CHAPTER 6 OF HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION TRAINING MANUAL (OLSON) Olson stated that Kalar had previously asked if a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) should have been pursued for the work at the Cummins Phipps Grill House. In response to that, the Commission is reviewing chapter six of the state manual. The manual describes the authority the Commission has, when something should be reviewed, and what steps are involved. Shah asked what prompted the need to review the manual. Olson responded there should be a COA for Eden Prairie properties that might be altered. For example, making sure the siding for Glen Lake Children’s Camp was correct. The question being what the threshold should be/what level of work would engage the review process. Maintenance EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 24, 2020 Page 2 work wouldn’t require a COA. Lindahl asked Olson if there were other examples of when a COA was or wasn’t needed. Olson replied that the Cummins Phipps Grill House clearly did not need a COA, but Glen Lake Children’s Camp did. The one that was questionable, and perhaps should have had one but didn’t, was adding the parking lot to the barn on Pioneer Trail. That that didn’t come before the Commission for review. Spera asked if the state manual had a glossary, as it would be helpful to have an official definition for “alterations”. Thorp believed alterations means any exterior change. Olson thought it referred to work such as adding a porch, whereas “reconstruction” is changing a window. “Demolition” and “removing” are more straightforward. Spera pointed out that when there isn’t a definition provided, the basic definition from the dictionary likely applies. Olson stated, according to the manual, routine maintenance such as painting, wallpaper, or plaster repair does not require a COA. Olson stated the manual also talks about design guidelines. He pointed out there are City guidelines for new construction, but he isn’t aware of guidelines for old construction. Thorp stated there was an architect hired for the roof replacement at the Smith Douglas Moore House who helped determine specifications. B. HENNEPIN VILLAGE BARN (LINDAHL) Lindahl received a call from Ann Higgins that her homeowners’ association was considering removing an old barn in Hennepin Village. The idea didn’t get much traction at the homeowners’ association meeting but Higgins asked that the Commission be made aware in case it comes up in the future. Lindahl did some research and learned that the barn originally belonged to the Good family, which has been in Eden Prairie for many years. Chester Good built it. He came to own the property from the Peterson family through marriage. Recently, when the developer of Hennepin Village was putting the project together he decided to keep the barn to possibly use as a community center. Lindahl isn’t sure how it’s currently being used. It feels like the homeowners’ association isn’t planning to do anything with the barn, but perhaps would be good to update them on its historical value. He thought that might be something Higgins or Kathie Case could help with. Thorp agreed that education would be the best option and stated the association would likely need a demolition permit before they could tear it down. C. OVERLOOK DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL (LINDAHL) Lindahl stated the Overlook development, which is next to Hennepin Village on Spring Road, was discussed at a Development Review Committee meeting. There’s a barn and a few old structures on the Overlook property. Engineering has photos of the structures, which will be torn down eventually, in case the EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 24, 2020 Page 3 Commission would like to review them. Not much is known about the barn or property, except that it was used as a tree farm for many years. A significant portion of the property will remain a conservation area. V. OLD BUSINESS A. WATER RESERVOIR INTERPRETATIVE PANEL UPDATE (THORP/LINDAHL) Thorp asked if there’s a contract with Katie Qualley. Lindahl didn’t think there was, but stated they can use a direct procurement process without having to get a second quote. Rick Wahlen is ok with moving forward. Thorp has given Qualley the photos. The committee is working on the text and has some good resources. There are excerpts from “The First 100 Years” book that will work well as long as they site the source. Once Qualley is back from vacation they’ll have one more meeting and then move forward with a contract. Lindahl stated the proposal should go directly to Rick Wahlen but asked if the Commission will see it before its finalized. Thorp said the Commission will see it before it’s finalized. Spera stated the committee did a lot of editing and had a lot of input on past projects. She was surprised by the amount of information about the depot and about Amy Smith. Thorp explained that Amy Smith was the train station operator in charge of teletype and sending Morse code to the next station. Shah suggested the panel emphasize that Amy Smith was a woman with many talents. Thorp stated “The 100 Years” book does a good job of that. Olson asked about the timeline. Lindahl responded the end of March would work, but timing can be flexible. Thorp suggested reviewing the work at the Commission’s meeting in April, since March would be too soon. Lindahl will confirm with Wahlen, but thought April will be fine. B. CUMMINS UPPER LEVEL RESTORATION UPDATE (THORP) Thorp is planning to meet with a contractor to get a bid on plastering. He thinks the Historical Society will be able to cover the cost. They’re considering leaving one room untouched because there’s a demand for filming with that sort of backdrop. Lindahl stated Rick Clark has a contractor he’d like to work with and wants to meet with Thorp and Kathie Case in the next couple weeks. Olson asked if there was interest in pursuing a CLG grant for the roof of the Cummins Phipps Grill House, since they weren’t able to get the History Center to fund it. The roof of the Smith Douglas Moore House was funded by a CLG grant. Lindahl felt that if the Commission is confident the City can replace the roof in a historically correct manner, it would be better to avoid involving the State as that EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 24, 2020 Page 4 adds additional layers. Although it’s an option they could pursue. Shah asked when the roof was last replaced. Thorp thought it had been at least 20 years. VI. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF VII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY Thorp shared there was a commercial filmed at the Cummins Phipps Grill House that raised $500. There will be a movie filmed there in 2021. That rental price hasn’t been negotiated. He also stated the Gym Task Force and school staff have been doing a lot of restoration work on the old school, such as painting the stage area. Thorp stated the Historical Society would like to schedule a joint meeting with the Historic Preservation Commission in July or Aug at the Cummins Phipps Grill House. Olson suggested doing the joint meeting in July. Thorp will confirm that July 20th at 7 p.m. will work for the Historical Society. Thorp listed the upcoming events for the Historical Society. Their annual meeting is April 30 at the Cummins Phipps Grill House. Steve Cobbs will be the guest speaker. His uncle started the drive-in theater in Eden Prairie. The Vintage Sale will be May 8th and 9th, also at the Cummins Phipps Grill House. They’re considering having a potluck dinner in June for members, as the peonies will be in bloom. On March 2nd the Parks and Rec Commission is going to tour the museum in City Center. Thorp, Higgins and Case will present at that. Case is speaking at Prairie Bluffs School on March 3rd. Case and Thorp will discuss Native American history at a PROP luncheon on April 22nd. Case will speak about the early history of Eden Prairie Schools on May 6th for Community Ed. Lindahl asked about the agenda for the joint meeting. Olson responded each group usually gives an update on what they’re working on. If there’s business that needs to be handled, the groups will separate to take care of that in different rooms. VIII. FYI ITEMS IX NEXT MEETING The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, March 16, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. in the Prairie Room. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Ferlauto moved, seconded by Chavez to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.