Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 10/20/2025Approved Minutes Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2025 City Center Heritage Rooms 8080 Mitchell Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 ATTENDEES Commission Members: Steve Schumacher (Chair); Paul Thorp (Vice-Chair); Rod Fisher; George Maxwell; Robert Bowes; Andy Ludowese; Catherine Lau, Prima Sisinni, Lisa Rude City Staff: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison; Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary MEETING AGENDA I. Call the Meeting to Order Chair Schumacher called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Commission members Thorp and Rude and student representatives Rice and Rohde were absent . II. READING OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT Maxwell read the land acknowledgement statement. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Fisher moved, seconded by Sisinni, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 7-0. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Schumacher to approve the minutes of the September 15, 2025 meeting. Motion carried 7-0. V. NEW BUSINESS A. UPDATE ON BIRCH HALL PROJECT AT CAMP EDENWOOD Novak-Krebs announced that if one was to move dirt on nationally designated property, one had to conduct an archeological study. Staff met with Jeremy Nienow who was hired by John LeBlanc to conduct this archeological study. The investigation would surround the structure and conduct some shovel tests. LeBlanc paid for the study instead of applying for a grant to expedite the process. Fisher asked for and received confirmation the study was not specifically looking HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES October 20, 2025 Page 2 for indigenous artifacts. However, if any were found, the study would require a Phase Two. Novak-Krebs stated LeBlanc wished to get the project started. He expected it to be completed by the end of November. The next steps would be construction drawings and bid documents. Bowes noted LeBlanc had raised a few hundred grand for the construction so far. Novak-Krebs stated there was State Capital Projects Grants-in-Aid program deadline in January for capital improvements, under which this project might qualify. B. DISCUSS SMITH DOUGLAS MORE HOUSE INTERPRETIVE PANEL Novak-Krebs stated the interpretive panel had to be taken down for the parking lot improvement. Novak-Krebs met with Kathie Case, Paul Thorp and Communications to update the panel. Maxwell added the sign covering had degraded, making it difficult to read the small font. He stated the replacement font should be larger. Novak-Krebs stated the panel should be reformatted to improve the flow of the story. The rain garden information also needed to be updated. She summarized the work that Earl and Helen More did to restore the house. Matt Bourne of Parks, Recreation and Forestry would replace the sign. Schumacher suggested a QR code. Maxwell suggested the language on the sign be tightened up, with the QR link providing more narrative. Sisinni objected that some might not wish to use QR codes. Lau suggested the QR Code be linked to The Smith Douglas More House video, and Schumacher suggested it take the user to the City website, which included the video. Maxwell asked how much information needed to be included about the rain gardens. Discussion followed on the text. C. UPDATE ON PRESERVE MINNESOTA CONFERENCE IN NEW ULM Bowes stated the conference was successful. He summarized a seminar on the use of prefabricated concrete brick, which was used for housing sold through the Sears catalog as well as for commercial buildings. He added that numerous attendees talked about the complexity of getting grants for historic properties and navigating the various counties as well as state guidelines. Laws could change every year, and there were often conflicting county responses. He added that in 1862 New Ulm was a safe haven for local farmers, who had HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES October 20, 2025 Page 3 been friendly with the Indians just like the initial settlers of Eden Prairie, but greedy federal government agents who did not honor treaties had poisoned this relationship. The famous conflict had begun with several teenaged Indians killing a farm family over eggs that had spiraled. Farmers from as far as nine or 10 miles away had been barricaded in New Ulm. This was portrayed in an excellent exhibition on the Brown County museum on the third floor. The city’s former mayor gave the tour. Discussion followed on this history. Bowes added he attended Oktoberfest. New Ulm held two celebrations each year: downtown and at the brewery. He added there was a plaque on the Otherday Family in New Ulm. Novak-Krebs stated her top three sessions were as follows: The MnDOT Cultural Resources Unit employed archeologists and historians which surveyed 272 structures in 2020 in roadside pull-offs and waysides. 14 were on the National Register, and 11 were eligible. There was one near New Ulm with a spring. The second workshop was Disaster Preparedness for Historic Buildings. The seminar recommended documenting everything on site, what the building looked like, and who to contact in case of damage or an emergency. Novak-Krebs stated she would look into this more. The City of Eden Prairie had an overarching disaster preparedness plan, but nothing specifically for historical buildings. Fisher suggested starting with Cummins Grill. Novak-Krebs also suggested Dorenkemper. She added she had visited the site with staff from the IT Department who had documented the house with a 360-degree videography for a virtual tour. Maxwell urged the commission to prioritize buildings, and Schumacher suggested Birch Hall for number three. The final seminar was an archeological survey conducted by Jeremy Nienow, which was an archeological dig in front of the St. Paul capitol. At one time, a huge house sat behind the capitol. It was owned by an influential person, and it had burned down, and this showed on old maps. There had been two neighborhoods in front of the present capitol site, one less well-off than the other. The survey revealed the strata of the burn and the refuse of the working class versus the well-to-do artifacts. Residents had been allowed to help with the dig. Fisher asked if preservation was part of the project, and Novak-Krebs replied she had not asked. Maxwell suggested Nienow be invited to speak to the commission members. Fisher suggested the Hennepin Town site as possible candidate for archeology. He asked for and received confirmation the government shut down was not an issue for getting grants. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES October 20, 2025 Page 4 Novak-Krebs stated the conference would be held in Minneapolis next year, during the summer so as to coincide with the national conferences for state preservation offices. Schumacher stated the disaster preparedness plan should be put on the Work List. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. CULTURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY Schumacher stated he was working through Thorp’s 10-page document with the inventory numbers, cleaning it up and removing duplicates. He would have an update at the next meeting. B. UPDATE ON BOOK PROJECT Novak-Krebs stated there were no updates; Zach Mohlis had emailed her to look at the phase one archeological surveys near the bluffs. Had not happened yet. Fisher added he visited R.T. Anderson Park, which had one great display about the mounds at the top of the hill. The 106 Group had installed an interpretive panel when Flying Cloud Drive was rebuilt. He had also taken a riverboat Mississippi cruise by Minneapolis schools which featured Dakota stories told by Dowie Westerman, a young Santee-Sioux specializing in the language, who was also an expert on native plants and medicinal foods. He asked if this information on local botany could be added to the book project, being that one of the R.T. Anderson placards was about local plants. Lau and Bowes commended this idea. Schumacher agreed that other voices were valuable and asked if Novak-Krebs would suggest it. Lau suggested this could be included partway through the book with photos. Novak-Krebs replied this would fit in with the project description for the grant application, which asked for how the indigenous residents interacted with the land. Fisher stated he would talk with Mohlis about this. Schumacher thanked everyone for volunteering at the Citywide Open House. Discussion followed on ideas for next year, including an interactive project like a mini-archeological dig, maps, a terminal screen showing the website, and treats. Novak-Krebs announced the student representatives had chosen their project: Camp Eden Wood. VII. REPORTS OF SUBCOMMITTEES HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES October 20, 2025 Page 5 A. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY OUTREACH 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 that Eden PrairieHistory.org, which had gone down briefly, was back online. Sisinni added the domain had not been renewed, but was repurchased in time, and the contact information was updated from a former member to current Historical Society staff. Bowes stated the Prop Sale would be held November 7 and 8 at the Cummins Phipps Grill House, and Santa was starting two weeks before Thanksgiving. The Boy Scouts were selling Christmas trees at the house and at Speedway. Kathie Case hoped the Dorenkemper House would be chosen as a student project, but even if this did not happen, the Historical Society was planning to make a video of Ginny Dorenkemper’s oral history. Bowes stated that Sheldon Wolfchild had just filed a lawsuit against the federal government, which took land away given to his tribe (on Lake Pepin from Lake City to Wabasha). The was pre-statehood history. Lau stated Thorp had the logs of the plots received and given back to the government in exchange for food. Bowes added half the land promised to local Dakota tribes had been resold by federal government in violation of treaty. Sisinni stated the aim of the lawsuit was not monetary gain, but for Wolfchild’s tribe to be recognized as a tribe and become eligible for benefits, which presently they could not claim. The tribe had casinos but did not pull in the funds that the larger Mystic Lake casino did. Wolfchild’s great-great-grandfather had been hung in 1937 despite being friendly with the settlers of Eden Prairie. A video would be produced on the lawsuit and effort at recognition. Fisher asked for the received confirmation Wolfchild was still involved with the book project. X. FYI ITEMS Fisher stated he had visited the Minnesota River vista overlook near C. H. Robinson park and there were three blank placards in place of interpretive panels. Novak-Krebs stated HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES October 20, 2025 Page 6 she would ask Bourne if there was a plan to update these. XI. NEXT MEETING The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage Rooms, City Hall. XII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Sisinni moved, seconded by Fisher to adjourn. Motion carried 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:04 p.m.