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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 01/22/2024APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2024 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; Catherine Lau STUDENT MEMBERS: Abha Gupta, Abhinov Koutharapu, Amuktha Pothamsetti, Berit Berggren, Nikhill Andrew, Owen Caruth, Sasha Allen 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 7:01 p.m. Absent was commission members Thorp and Lau and student representatives Gupta, Koutharapu, Pothamsetti, Berggren, Andrew, Caruth and Allen. II. READING OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT Fisher read the land acknowledgement statement. Discussion followed on the statement. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Maxwell moved to approve the agenda with tabling item VI. B. until the next meeting, seconded by Fisher to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Fisher to approve the minutes of the December 18, 2023 meeting. Motion carried 5-0. V. NEW BUSINESS VI. OLD BUSINESS A. DISCUSS 2024 WORK PLAN EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 22, 2024 Page 2 Novak-Krebs displayed the Work Plan and stated it would be presented to the City Council by Chair Schumacher at 5:30 p.m. on February 6, 2024, with dinner held at 5:00 p.m. She described the format of this presentation. She stated once the Plan was completed, she would finalize the presentation and send it to Schumacher for review. Schumacher reminded the commission members that goals for the 2024 Work Plan needed to be prioritized. Bowes suggested Camp Edenwood as the number one priority, as it did get $15,000 from Eden Prairie for a Conditions Assessment. Novak-Krebs stated she would contact John LeBlanc with True Friends who hired the consultant doing the assessment. Schumacher suggested hiring a staff member from the MHS to complete a study of the Native American history in Eden Prairie, but emphasized this was a budget line item whereas the larger goal was to tell this story. Fisher stated the study was all the commission could get done in 2024. Schumacher agreed but suggested the first priority was the Camp Edenwood dining hall, the second the Holasek House, and then finding representation from the indigenous community for PeopleFest Fisher replied he did not have much hope of that, at least from the Shakopee tribe, although indigenous dance teams were a possibility. Schumacher agreed to put possibly contacting a dance team on the plan since it was a goal to participate in PeopleFest. Novak-Krebs stated the overarching statement about telling indigenous story was underpinned by the study. Schumacher agreed that the study would be how this was accomplished. Bowes suggested instead of setting a budget amount, stating it was not to exceed a certain budget. Novak-Krebs stated there were grants available through MHS and one in particular was offered four times a year rather than just in January (with application deadlines in January, April, July, and October). Bowes stated a grant would aid the commission in better telling the story. Schumacher stated a possible approach to the Work Plan was to break down what the commission was trying to address, then how it was trying to address it via the subcommittees, and rank what was most important. As items change or get added the commission could address it then. The commission assigned subcommittees to the prioritized projects. Discussion followed on the Dorenkemper and Havlicek Houses. Fisher cautioned the commission members to be prepared to look into finding funds. He added Mayor Case had told him John Gertz was still available. Novak- Krebs stated the Mayor was very supportive of writing applications for grants and Gertz had been hired to work on the Bloomington-Yorkville Town Road preservation plan, whereas another consultant wrote the nomination for the EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 22, 2024 Page 3 Heritage preservation Site designation. Schumacher suggested the commission retain him. Schumacher and Novak-Krebs discussed the final formatting for the presentation to the City Council. B. DISCUSS STUDENT-LED VIDEOS OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES This item was tabled. VII. REPORTS OF SUBCOMMITTEES A. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY/OUTREACH DISCUSS DECARLO REPORT FOR BLOOMINGTON DeCarlo report for Bloomington is https://www.bloomingtonmn.gov/indigenoushistory Lines on the Land: How Dakota Homeland Became Private Property A History of the South Loop District to 1900 By: Peter DeCarlo Prepared for The City of Bloomington Creative Placemaking in the South Loop Board of Commissioners August 2021 Presentation with Dr Kate Beane on 8/22/23 in Bloomington https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCK3t5nNvnM&featur e=youtu.be Novak-Krebs handed out the table of contents and the executive summary of the Bloomington study. Fisher stated he and Bowes met with the historian who had worked with the City of Bloomington, Peter DeCarlo, who also wrote a book about Fort Snelling. DeCarlo’s report took two- and-a-half years due in part to the Covid pandemic, and he was willing to do this again for Eden Prairie. The theme in the Bloomington study was on the area’s prehistory until lines were drawn on the map; this could also be done for Eden Prairie. Maxwell suggested seasonable villages and burial mounds as subjects to include, and Fisher suggested sacred sites, rocks, and trails. Discussion followed on what audience to target for the report. Fisher suggested two versions of it, one longer and more academic as was the Bloomington study, another with bullets points of focus, emphasizing the map, and perhaps hosted on the City’s website as well. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 22, 2024 Page 4 Fisher asked the commission members to come up with more suggestions and additions to his list, and then he and Bowes would ask DeCarlo for a proposal and a budget estimate. He also suggested DeCarlo be brought in for a commission meeting and then a recommendation could be made to the City Council, or the Council and/or Mayor could attend an HPC meeting. Discussion followed on whether or not an indigenous consultant should write the report instead. Novak-Krebs warned that person might not have the resources DeCarlo would. Maxwell added there were various views of history, for example Ojibwe versus Dakota. Schumacher stated the deliverable could be report and then a scale-down version for popular audience presentation or video, high school auditorium, on the City’s website, done by DeCarlo, who had demonstrated his credentials. Discussion followed on including indigenous artists as part of the telling the story based on the report. Novak-Krebs suggested discussing art with the Human Rights and Diversity commission. Schumacher asked about costs. Fisher stated the City of Bloomington paid $6000.00, but Bowes and he thought closer to a $10,000.00 budget, which would be a stipend, not hourly. He added that a presentation like the one given at Bloomington would be a wonderful, respectful capstone. Schumacher suggested Kate Beane, co-presented with DeCarlo and a tribal member, could give advice on how to tell the story. Fisher cautioned against revealing some information publicly, such as the location of certain sacred rocks, et cetera. He asked when the Historical Society should also get involved. Schumacher advised the commission should not approach the Society without a proposal in hand. Fisher stated he would speak to Mdewakanton curator and head of collections Javier Avalos for ideas on how to approach the final presentation. B. NEW HERITAGE PRESERVATION SITE DESIGNATIONS C. RENOVATION/MAINTENANCE DEVELOPMENT D. DOCUMENTATION/HISTORICAL RECORDINGS/OUTREACH VIII. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF IX.. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY Bowes announced there would be a hundred-year celebration of Eden Prairie School on Friday, May 17 at the gym, with an adult citywide prom the following Saturday. 300 EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 22, 2024 Page 5 people were anticipated and the Eden Prairie Lion’s would be serving alcohol at this adult-only event. It would be announced on social media. The parade would be held April 27. X. FYI ITEMS XI NEXT MEETING The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, February 26, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. in the Heritage Room. XII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Fisher moved, seconded by Maxwell to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:51 p.m.