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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 08/21/2023AGENDA EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY AUGUST 21, 2023 7:00 P.M. Heritage Rooms City Hall HPC COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steven Schumacher-Chair; Paul Thorp-Vice Chair, George Maxwell, Robert Bowes, Rod Fisher, Andy Ludowese, Melanie Willett, Catherine Lau COMMISSION STAFF: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL II. READING OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING ON JULY 24, 2023 V. NEW BUSINESS A. PRESERVE MINNESOTA CONFERENCE IN MANKATO – SEPT. 27-29 (BETH) B. DISCUSS CITYWIDE OPEN HOUSE – OCT. 7 (BETH) C. DISCUSS HARVEST TO HALLOWEEN AT THE BARN – OCT.14 (BETH) VI. OLD BUSINESS A. DISCUSS SUBCOMMITTEES (STEVE) B. DISCUSS HERITAGE SITE PLAQUE PROGRAM (BETH) VII. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF VIII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY A. GENERAL UPDATE – (PAUL/BOB) IX. FYI ITEMS X. NEXT MEETING September 18, 2023 XI. ADJOURNMENT UNAPPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, JULY 24, 2023 7:00 P.M. Meeting Heritage Rooms, City Hall HPC COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Schumacher (Chair); Paul Thorp (Vice-Chair); Rod Fisher; George Maxwell; Robert Bowes; Andy Ludowese; Melanie Willett; Catherine Lau COMMISSION STAFF: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Schumacher called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All commission members were present. Carol Kissner, Claude Buettner and Mike Rogers attended the meeting. II. READING OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT Lau read the land acknowledgement statement. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Fisher moved, seconded by Bowes to approve the agenda with the removal of Item VI B. Motion carried 8-0. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Maxwell to approve the minutes of the June 26, 2023 minutes to correct typos of personal names. Motion carried 8-0. V. NEW BUSINESS A. FIVE-MINUTE HISTORY REPORT (THORP) Novak-Krebs displayed the mill site map and Thorp explained Isaac K Crowe built it and ran it until the 1890s. The two stone foundations had been discussed at the previous meeting. He pointed these out and explained the location of a house he thought was contemporary with the mill. He pointed out the realignment of Pioneer Trial to accommodate the mill and the location of the water channel for the mill race. He explained he found this information in Crowes’ letters and the book The First Hundred Years. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 24, 2023 Page 2 Franklin Cooke documented where the road was aligned to accommodate the mill. B. DISCUSS WORK PLAN (NOVAK-KREBS) Novak-Krebs explained every year a work plan was prepared toward the end of the year to be presented to the City Council This had been structured by quarters, but Novak-Krebs presented a Gantt chart, which broke down the structure by project, instead. She detailed the projects and their timelines. This would be a working document. Schumacher commended the idea. He asked how this would be submitted to the City Council. Novak-Krebs explained the presentation had bene a PowerPoint, and it would likely be that for 2024. Other commissions used a similar format, and this chart was more task-oriented, which dovetailed with the concept of subcommittees. C. DISCUSS SUBCOMMITTEES (SCHUMACHER) Novak-Krebs displayed a PowerPoint prepared by Schumacher. He explained the commission was exploring using subcommittees for three objectives: to do more meaningful work in the commission members’ interests, eliminating the month- long lag and limited progress, and to create an opportunity for a timelier process of delivering on results and informing the City Council. A subcommittee would strive to meet in person or online, et cetera, in between regularly schedule meetings to keep projects moving forward. Subcommittees would own the projects. There would be updates at each HPC meeting, under “Reports of Commission and Staff.” Potential subcommittees were the Red Rock project, new Heritage Site designations (such as the Heritage Site Plaque Program, Eden Mill, and the Old Depot Site), renovation and maintenance or development, and documentation, historical recording, and outreach. The process would articulate certain objectives for a project to go to subcommittee. There would be monthly outcomes and a defined outcome. The subcommittee would avoid a quorum (maximum of four), and there would be opportunities for the student representatives to participate and report on. Novak-Krebs emphasized the need for defined deliverables. Fisher asked for and received clarification that subcommittees would set priorities and complete each task in order, not simultaneously. Discussion followed on crafting a motion to approve the use of subcommittees. Maxwell suggested a six-month check-in. Fisher suggested allowing commission members to sign up for projects, not subcommittees per se. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 24, 2023 Page 3 MOTION: Lau moved, seconded by Fisher to approve the subcommittee structure (of not more than four members) with built-in flexibility for specific categories, with the final structure to be set at the next meeting. Motion carried 8-0. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. DISCUSS HERITAGE SITE PLAQUE PROGRAM (NOVAK-KREBS) Novak-Krebs stated the application and criteria were updated in 2017. She had emailed this information, asked if the commission members thought these needed to be updated further. The commission could discuss this at the next meeting. Schumacher agreed with discussing this in August. Fisher asked if the cost borne by the homeowner was prohibited. Novak-Krebs explained this was a voluntary buy-in by the homeowner. The plaque allowed residents to see and be reminded of historic sites. B. DISCUSS MILL SITE (THORP) This item was removed from the agenda because this topic was covered under Item V. A. above. VII. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. SELECT A SIBCOMMITTEE TO WORK WITH CITY STAFF ON EDEN PRARIE CEMETERY Rogers introduced himself and gave an overview of the cemetery project. He explained that around the year 2000 his father had run the cemetery, having taken it over from Rogers’ uncle. Rogers took all the paper records and put them into a spreadsheet. Upon Rogers’ father’s death, Rogers bought a program and placed all this data, dating from 1855, into a database. Matt Bourne had all the records regarding Eden Prairie Cemetery and Bourne was still trying to learn the program. Rogers stated since March of 2022 he had received no requests or questions and added he knew staff was given a lot of work suddenly. The program had to be renewed periodically, and the company was more than willing to train. It also offered training videos which were helpful in what could be made public. There was also the MAC Commission (Minnesota Association of Cemeteries) and the City would benefit from their experience. There was probably little in the program that was not public information. Novak-Krebs stated that the City was considering hiring a part time employee to manage the cemeteries and the cemetery data. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 24, 2023 Page 4 He was most concerned about the database program, which could be used for multiple cemeteries. Pleasant Hills’ records were all on paper, or at best in an Access database, whereas this program could be set up to handle all of Eden Prairie’s cemetery records. The Daughters of the American Revolution were not able to get information from the City of Eden Prairie about the location of veterans’ graves, whereas Rogers could answer her question when she contacted him. Preston Sharp, a student, had been singled out at the State of the Union Address some years ago for placing flags on all veterans graves in Minnesota. Rogers knew about this by recall, but this was another example of the need for cemetery information. He hoped to make this data more accessible, more secured and backed up, and to have people like him and Kissner set parameters and standards for improved recordkeeping. He had put in all the records up to March of 2022. Schumacher noted the cemetery was managed by the Parks Department. Yet the HPC’s mission was preserving historic information, and he was concerned the records were properly retained. Thorp noted the Parks Department had a different mission. Rogers agreed and stated he was concerned about the fate of that historic data. Kissner stated the earliest dated headstone was from 1855. Rogers added there were many unidentified graves in the northeast section of the cemetery. He wanted a recommendation from the commission. Novak-Krebs stated she had had a conversation with Bourne regarding the cemetery records, and he was trying to learn the program. A part-time staff person might be hired to work on these as well. Kissner stated she visited a relative’s grave on Memorial Day and noticed the cemetery’s lawnmower had chipped some of the flat markers. She contacted Matt Bourne who visited the cemetery but saw no damage. Kissner sent him photographs, and offered them to Novak-Krebs as well. She added she saw damage to a gravestone that she was not sure was current or not. Rogers stated he had offered help to Bourne but had not heard back. Schumacher stated the HPC had a vested interest in the records. Thorp added the protection of the markers was also a priority. Discussion followed on the damage to the markers. Fisher stated he was trying to think of a motion that could be made. Discussion followed on the scope of the project. MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Lau, to move the preservation of the records to a subcommittee. Motion carried 8-0. Discussion followed on the preservation of the markers. Kissner stated contractors were used for the mowing. She wanted an update from the Parks Department. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 24, 2023 Page 5 MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Fisher, to request a report from the Parks Department on actions taken to avoid further damage to the cemetery markers and to articulate the processes for prevention of this in the future. Motion carried 8-0. Thorp suggested the commission or a subcommittee have access to the database. Discussion followed on this. Schumacher stated this issue would be discussed by the appropriate subcommittee at the commission’s next meeting. Rogers offered to explore whether there were state or national standards for recordkeeping. VIII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY Bowes stated the Eden Prairie Community Band performed at the Cummins Grill House and at Staring Lake. Emmet Stark , the first band director in Eden Prairie, made an appearance. Approximately 50 people attended and many went on tours of the house. A consultant was working with the Society’s website, and a new website with a new URL would be launched next month. The Harvest to Halloween event would be held at Lake Riley in October. There will be tours of the Dorenkemper House The Vintage Sale would be held in November. IX. FYI ITEMS Schumacher asked the progress on the Holasek House. Novak-Krebs offered to schedule to have John LeBlanc of True Friends come to a future HPC meeting and speak to the commission about future uses of the house X NEXT MEETING The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, August 21 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the Heritage Room. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Bowes moved, seconded by Fisher to adjourn. Motion carried 8-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:16 p.m.