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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 06/15/2020APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 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; Rod Fisher COMMISSION STAFF: David Lindahl, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. Absent was commission member Shah. II. SWEARING IN OF NEW COMMISSIONER New commission member Rod Fisher was sworn in by Olson. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Kalar moved, seconded by Thorp to approve the agenda. Motion carried 7- 0. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Kalar moved, seconded by Ross to approve the minutes of the February 24, 2020 meeting. Motion tabled due to lack of quorum, as there were three abstentions (Fisher, Ross, Kalar). V. NEW BUSINESS A. REVIEW NOMINATION PROCESS - HERITAGE PRESERVATION AWARD (OLSON) After discussion, the commission decided to table the awards process. B. JOINT MEETINGS WITH EPHS AND PARKS COMMISSION Olson asked Ross if the Historical Society is meeting. Ross replied the Society has not been and would not meet until at least August. Lindahl reminded the commission the Heritage Rooms were set up for social distancing, but was not set EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 15, 2020 Page 2 up to accommodate a meeting with both organizations at once. Kalar suggested meeting only with the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission online. Fisher stated he would be meeting with Kathie Case and could get an update on the Historical Society that way. He also preferred a virtual meeting with either of the organizations. Thorp stated he wished to have a virtual meeting in August, but did not see a possible meeting with both organizations. He agreed with the suggestion of an August meeting with the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission. Spera also preferred a virtual meeting with only the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission. Olson agreed with an online meeting with only the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission. Lindahl offered to find out if the commission was meeting and what dates might work for a virtual meeting. Fisher suggested meeting outside. C. CUMMINS GRILL ROOF - SHPO GRANT (LINDAHL) Lindahl announced he met with Rick Clark, Facilities Manager, and found out the roof replacement, slated for 2021, would cost in the $65,000 range. He suggested applying for a large grant for 2021; the Minnesota Historical Society did not delay 2020 deadlines, and so the commission had missed all deadlines. Olson noted the Smith Douglas Moore House roof grant was a CLG grant for $40,000, whereas Legacy grants could be applied for by anyone. CLG grants could be applied for by only Certified Local Governments like Eden Prairie, and the competition would have less competition and he suggested applying for this. Olson did not know the total granting dollars. The Smith Douglas Moore House roof grant did require a plan required by a historic architect. Lindahl agreed to explore this grant option. V. OLD BUSINESS A. REVIEW AND UPDATE 2020 WORK PLAN PROJECTS (OLSON) Olson noted the Covid-19 virus could delay some goals. He read through the list and solicited comments. Work Plan 1st Quarter: The Annual Heritage Preservation Award was tabled. Lindahl announced John Gertz would prepare the preservation plan. Community engagement was not possible at this time. Thorp stated the plastering work and painting, with the exception of some minor repairs, were completed on the Cummins Phipps Grill House. The City was installing light switches. The kiosk sign for the reservoir was under contract with the City, the text was done and approved by City staff, and what remained was orienting photographs with text explanations. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 15, 2020 Page 3 Lindahl stated there was some progress on the oral histories with a consultant and editing by City staff. Work Plan 2nd Quarter, still possible: Meeting with Eden Prairie Historical Society later in the year and a joint meeting with the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission later in the year; the inventory was tabled; the enhancement to the City website was tabled. Olson explained the project to continue to assess evaluate and prioritize inventory file and data collection for Fisher. The City website project would focus on the oral histories. The fundraising for the Flying Red Horse project was tabled. The tour of the Shakopee Midewakanton Sioux community museum would be delayed until 2021. B. FAT PANTS BREWERY – INSTALLING HISTORIC PHOTOS (FISHER) Fisher described his idea of having historic photos installed at the brewer. He met with owner Don Anderson four times, and expected an answer after this meeting. He urged the commission members to encourage Anderson if they could. Kalar asked if the photos had been prepared to be hung, and Fisher replied they were merely files at this point. Lindahl volunteered to raise the issue with Anderson. He also suggested Flying Dutchman Distillery as an alternate location. C. FLYING RED HORSE UPDATE (LINDAHL) Lindahl stated Jay Lotthammer inspected the Red Horse and was not able to secure any possible consultants or recommendations, but would keep trying. If the sign would end up being displayed outside it needed to be fully restored, and if inside, the preservation would not be as extension. He suggested the idea of placing the sign at Flying Cloud drive and Eden Road near the light rail stop. The Met Council purchased this property but was interested in deeding back that corner to Eden Prairie, and the City was considering some gateway project at that area. Kalar and Ross expressed approval for this option. Lindahl noted this location was essentially across the street from the sign’s original location. Lindahl displayed the location on an aerial map for Thorp. Olson asked for a time frame. Lindahl replied the commission had plenty of time, as the light rail would not be running until 2023. He expected the property to be deeded back to Eden Prairie in the next year, with landscaping being handled after that. D. YORKVILLE PRESERVATION PLAN UPDATE (DAVE) EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 15, 2020 Page 4 Lindahl announced John Gertz had been retained as consultant to prepare the preservation plan. E. ORAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE MAP UPDATE (LINDAHL) Lindahl stated the goal was to complete and upload at least a couple of oral histories in 2020, and this would involve more collaboration with Communications and IT. VI. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. HPC STAFF LIAISON TRANSITION (LINDAHL) Lindahl announced the Engineering Dept hired a new person to take over the Sustainability Commission two weeks ago. Therefore, Lindahl would handle the next meeting in July, and Novak-Krebs would start with the HPC in August. VII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY Ross stated the Historical Society was working at the Cummins Phipps Grills House, as previously explained by Thorp. Thorp noted there was some molding work that would require hiring external expertise. The floors and some general cleaning needed to be done. Ross stated the Society members were pleased with the progress of the work. The Annual Meeting and the picnic were canceled. The next board meeting would address whether or not some events could be resumed. Moved forward with Collective Access with Tom Achartz assisting with cataloging. the Society also created a FB page, Eden Prairie Remembers. It received a lot of traffic with at least 207 members as of this writing. VIII. FYI ITEMS Fisher asked if there was information on African-American history in Eden Prairie, and how this commission could recognize that. Spera replied the Human Rights and Diversity Commission collaborated with the Somali community. Fisher wondered if there was any older history. Ross replied Old Black Joe was a beloved historical figure who worked on the Cummins Phipps Grill House and has a cemetery plot. There was some information on him in a file at the Historical Society. Kalar added Mayor Imogene Harris was another example of a prominent African-American Eden Prairie resident. Kalar added she suspected history had been whitewashed, which is why the commission had been trying to bring in Indigenous history in a respectful way. Building a coalition with the Shakopee Midewakanton Sioux community was proceeding slowly. Kalar summarized the commission’s efforts over the past few years for Fisher. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 15, 2020 Page 5 Spera mentioned the Dr. Jean Harris Bridge in Purgatory Park and asked Kalar if there were any other examples of recognition of Harris in Eden Prairie. Kalar replied she did not know of any other landmark, and there was also no mention of Harris in City Center. Spera urged having more recognition of underserved history in Eden Prairie. Thorp stated he had done research on the Otherday Family, a Native American family, from 1871 through the 1930s and offered to get that information and photographs to Lindahl. Kalar suggested another round of the History Hunt with social distancing as an agenda item for the next meeting. She offered to bring ideas to next meeting. Lindahl suggested offering the heritage books as prizes. Ross asked if Peoplefest and Heritage Fest were cancelled. Lindahl replied Peoplefest was, but he had not heard about the Heritage Fest. The Brew Fest was under discussion to allow for social distancing at a larger location. He offered to let commission members know of other events/cancellations. Olson thanked staff member Amanda Pellowski for her technological help during this virtual meeting. IX NEXT MEETING The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, July 20, 2020 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 8:16 p.m.