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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 12/17/2012APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2012 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Prairie Rooms A & B COMMISSION MEMBERS: Ed Muehlberg (Chair), Cindy Cofer Evert (Vice Chair), Jeffrey Lawler, Mark McPherson, Steve Olson, JoAnn McGuire STAFF: John Gertz, Pathfinder CRM, LLC Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Melissa Berman, Leanne Zhang GUEST: Betsy Adams - Eden Prairie Historical Society I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Muehlberg called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Student Representatives Berman and Zhang were absent. Cofer Evert arrived at 7:21 pm. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Gertz requested Item V. PUBLIC HEARING be deleted from the agenda. It is no longer applicable. MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Lawler, to approve the amended agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. MINUTES MOTION: Lawler moved, seconded by Olson, to approve the November 19, 2012 minutes. Motion carried 5-0. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. 2013 CONTRACT FOR CONSULTANT SERVICES – Creamer The contract from Pathfinder CRM, LLC for Gertz’s services has been approved by the City. The scope of services has not changed. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES December 17, 2012 Page 2 B. JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2013 MEETING DATES - Creamer January and February commission meetings fall on holidays. Upon discussion, it was determined the meetings will be rescheduled for January 14 and February 11. In addition, possible dates were discussed for a joint meeting with the Eden Prairie Historical Society (EPHS). Adams will pursue March 18 and April 15 and report back which date works best for her group. She suggested an earlier start time might yield better attendance. Location ideas were also discussed. C. UPDATE FROM THE EDEN PRAIRIE HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Adams The EPHS board of directors participated in a development workshop in June identifying the following as top priorities: an analysis and plan for increased preservation and safe storage of its collections; continuation of Cummins-Phipps- Grill House development as an educational and entertaining site for the community; guidelines, training, equipment, and volunteers for development of an oral history project; and efforts to increase its membership and volunteer base. Cofer Evert arrived at 7:21 pm. A Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) Legacy Grant is pending for Historical Collection Preservation and Storage Initiative Part 1 (assessment and long range plan). A second grant cycle will cover Part 2 (archiving, materials, and training). The extent of Part 2 will be determined upon completion of Part 1. EPHS and the City recently coordinated efforts to install new locks, a security system, and a sprinkler system at the Cummins-Phipps-Grill House. The bedroom on the second floor above the kitchen has been completely redone. A grant will be submitted to a private grant foundation for the next and final remodeling project which is improvement to the front bedrooms on the second floor. Zoning and policies are in place for rentals. Past rentals have been successful and consist mainly of evening social events. They hope to reach out to the business community for daytime rentals. New inquiries come in regularly. In terms of publicity, there is rental information on the EPHS website and there have been a number of articles in the Eden Prairies News. They have asked for a direct link to the rental information on the City website. Gertz suggested pursuing it as a park rental through the Parks Department since it is a park property. Cofer Evert recommended networking with the Chamber of Commerce and People Reaching Out to Other People for business exposure. Another possibility is to check if MHS would share their list of members who are Eden Prairie residents with EPHS. Adams said they hosted a Hometown Harvest event at the house in November. Funding for the Oral History Project will be sought in the spring from the Eden Prairie Community Foundation. This project involves a great deal of transcription. In the effort to attract new members, develop future leadership, and improve member communication, the database is undergoing major updates. A members-only event, co-hosted by Steve Schussler, is being planned for May at the Goodrich-Ramus Barn. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES December 17, 2012 Page 3 Adams will ask the City’s contracted grant writer, Leanne Brown, if letters of endorsement for grant applications would be helpful. Creamer reported a letter from MHS was received today stating they agreed the Goodrich-Ramus Barn is a good candidate for local designation. Cofer Evert reported that Friends of Minnesota Barns recently honored Schussler with the Best Non-Agricultural Adaptive Re-use award. Gertz stated the Dorenkemper House is one of the best historic properties in Eden Prairie, but it is way underused. He would like to work in conjunction with EPHS to raise awareness, especially with schools and scout troops. A grant option for 2013 is to develop a site plan which could, in turn, be used to launch an interpretive plan. EPHS could be the principal party in staffing the house and develop a calendar for opening the house to the public. Adams replied there are currently two guides who conduct private tours, but the volunteer base isn’t in place right now to support more. It hasn’t been a priority because of its great restored condition, and it unintentionally fell off the radar due to other historic needs. It might be awhile before they can invest the necessary resources and time, but they would be happy to partner. Gertz said there may be an opportunity to develop Friends of the Dorenkemper House for people who are interested in just that site. Creamer said she will share the Minnesota Main Street information with Adams as a possibly helpful resource. Gertz suggested including volunteer opportunities as part of EPHS’ membership drive. A brief discussion ensued about grant specifics. Olson recommended this be a topic for discussion at the joint meeting. Other suggestions included approaching The Landing for help with operating the woodstove and making improvements in the areas of landscaping and interpretive signage to draw people in. Lawler said the design school is always looking for assignments; they could be approached for ideas. He will obtain a contact. V. OLD BUSINESS A. UPDATE ON CUMMINS GRILL LANDSCAPING PROJECT - Creamer Per Stu Fox, the naturalized prairie planting portion of the project is done. The tree planting portion, however, is tied to the Pioneer Trail Landscaping Project being handled by Engineering and has been delayed due to a staffing/project backlog. It is tentatively on the 2013 schedule. More information will be available in about a month. Gertz said ornamental and orchard trees will be planted. B. UPDATE ON INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE Gertz circulated scaled-down versions of current signage with the exception of a few locations. The Lookout and Minnesota River Valley signs were never placed. One for Hennepin Village was designed but never fabricated. The sign for the Dunn Brothers store was not included. The artwork for the signs exists and can be reproduced as needed. Cofer Evert distributed drafts of signage condition including photos and descriptions. Conditions vary from good to poor. Damage from ten years of wear consists of paint chips, dirt, scratches, holes, cigarette burns, and adhesive residue. She commented on HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES December 17, 2012 Page 4 the amount of litter at Fredrick-Miller Spring noting there is no waste receptacle on- site. McPherson said a vertical orientation might cut down on sign maintenance. Gertz also suggested keeping them out of direct sunlight. Cofer Evert emphasized Lookout Park is a spectacular site. It could be an Eden Prairie landmark if restored. Gertz responded they had tried before, but it is airport property and (per the airport) not conducive to people congregating and parking cars there. It is one of the best overlooks in the Twin Cities, and SHPO offered to assist with restoration. The issue could be revisited when the City completes the nearby trail to allow for walkers/bikers. Cofer Evert will take pictures of the Purgatory Creek signs, prioritize sign conditions, and complete her report. She suggested restoration of current signs in need be included in funding for new signs. She has samples from Fox for new signage. Olson and Gertz agreed signs should be restored if cleaning doesn’t suffice. Sign clean-up should consist of proper techniques for fiberglass-embedded graphics and go on the maintenance schedule master plan in order for the parks department to take care of it. Gertz recommended a plan of developing signage for the Riley farm (as part of the site plan), prioritizing replacements for existing signage, bringing a budget to Council, and then seeking grant funds as needed. C. WEBSITE UPDATE - Creamer The IT department is in the midst of an upgrade, so no mockup is available yet. Something should be ready for the January meeting and can be demoed at that time. Lawler requested Creamer inquire whether IT would prefer the information in raw data form or reproductions. VI. NEW BUSINESS Creamer reviewed the draft of the 2013 Work Plan and solicited input. The website with photos was a Council request. Gertz noted he will be working on the Best Management Practice Plan. It needs to be done soon per code. The local heritage site designation process for Staring Lake Outdoor Center, Glen Lake Children’s Camp, and the Dorenkemper House was stalled. Creamer will meet with Jay Lotthammer to find out what happened and specify those three sites on the work plan. Gertz explained the site inspections are simply field inspections he will conduct with Paul Sticha. Guests are welcome to attend the inspections. VII. FYI ITEMS Lawler said an analysis was reportedly done, but no evidence was found of burials mounds behind the Lions Tap restaurant. Cofer Evert reported the couple renting the Riley Jacques house would like to do some improvements at their cost and asked how they go about doing that. Gertz replied they HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES December 17, 2012 Page 5 should let the Parks and Planning departments know of their plans and possibly HPC, which can assist with a Certificate of Appropriateness if needed. VIII. STUDENT UPDATES None IX. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, January 14, 2013, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by McPherson, to adjourn. Motion carried 6- 0. Muehlberg adjourned the meeting at 9:06 p.m.