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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 03/16/2026Meeting Agenda Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Commission 7 p.m. Monday, March 16, 2026 Heritage Rooms City Hall 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 Student Members: Annika Rice, Fiona Rohde, Jaya Agrawal, Kadie Crider, Nico Allen, Saloni Siddavatam, Tatum Hesby City Staff: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison, Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary AGENDA I. Call the Meeting to Order II. Reading of Land Acknowledgement Statement III. Approval of Agenda IV. Minutes Heritage Preservation Commission meeting held February 23, 2026 V. New Business A. Update from Students on Video Project B. Discussion with Tea Rozman from Green Card Voices C. Reminder that the Nomination Window for the Heritage Preservation Award is Open D. Discuss Commission Changes in April. VI. Old Business VII. Reports of Subcommittees A. Native American Outreach B. New Heritage Preservation Site Designation C. Renovation/Maintenance/Development D. Documentation/Historical Recordings/Outreach Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Agenda March 16, 2026 VIII. Reports of Commission and Staff IX. Reports of Students X. Reports of Historical Society XI. FYI Items XII. Next Meeting - April 20, 2026 XIII. Adjourn Unapproved Minutes Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 23, 2026 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 Student Members: Annika Rice, Fiona Rohde, Jaya Agrawal, Kadie Crider, Nico Allen, Saloni Siddavatam, Tatum Hesby City Staff: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison; Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary MEETING AGENDA I. Call the Meeting to Order Vice Chair Thorp called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Commission Members Schumacher, Sisinni, and Ludowese were absent. Student members Allen, Agrawal, and Siddavatam were absent. Eden Prairie resident Devon Stanton joined the meeting. II. Reading of the Land Acknowledgement Statement Stanton read the land acknowledgement statement. III. Approval of Agenda MOTION: Lau moved, seconded by Maxwell, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 6- 0. IV. Approval of Minutes Heritage Preservation Commission meeting held Monday January 26, 2026. MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Fisher to approve the minutes of the January 26, 2026 meeting amended to change the word “contractor” in Item VIII to “contact.” Motion carried 6-0. V. New Business A. Discuss Draft Disaster Preparedness Plans for Historic Properties Novak-Krebs stated the purpose of such a plan was to have everything in order HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES February 23, 2026 Page 2 in case a disaster happens, and everyone knew what their responsibilities were and there was no confusion. Most of the properties were maintained by the City Facilities Department. The Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department maintained some, and the Eden Prairie Historical Society assists with maintenance of the Cummins Phipps Grill House. The whole idea was that continued maintenance and/or the elimination of problems (such as the fire suppression system in the Cummins Phipps Grill House) made destruction easier to manage. Novak-Krebs stated she had an extensive list of all maintenance completed on all historic properties. The Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department maintained and updated a spreadsheet every year. There were three steps to having a disaster preparedness plan: pre-planning, work done due to a disaster, and damage assessment once danger has passed. Architects with experience with historic properties would aid in this assessment and reconstruction. The commission, being in the pre-planning process, should assess possible potential threats (including the potential for a small plane hitting the Cummins Phipps Grill House, a fatal event which happened in the past). Novak-Krebs stated she started to go through the major properties and determine likely threats. Each property had its own situation and possible threats. Then, each property had to be documented, in terms of external cladding and anything held or stored in the house. Novak-Krebs suggested the properties could be photographed and the IT Department could complete 360-degree views. Thorp noted everything in the Cummins Phipps Grill House belonged to the Historical Society. Novak-Krebs stated the City had an Emergency Operations Plan which was currently being updated, and she and staff would complete a list of responsibilities for the commission. Maxwell suggested the Chair and Vice Chair of the HPC be called in a relevant emergency. Thorp added there were items stored in the Dorenkemper House. Novak-Krebs stated in the case of damage to the Smith Douglas More House, the owners of Smith Coffee would be contacted. She offered to check into who insured the historical contents still held in the building. Another question was where such contents would be held in case of damage to any historic structure. Discussion followed on the contents of the Riley Jacques Barn. Novak-Krebs added another important aspect of pre-planning was informing first responders. Discussion followed on the role of insurance policies. Novak-Krebs offered to check into what properties were indeed insured. After the disaster, there would be the aforementioned post-disaster assessment HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES February 23, 2026 Page 3 with a qualified architect, a long-term recovery plan and salvage. Novak-Krebs displayed the maintenance list for the commission members and highlighted important components (nationally or locally designated, leased or not leased, condition, et cetera.). She stated she had also started pulling floor plans and photographs, if any. She described the City of Eden Prairie’s Emergency Operational Plan, which was similar. First there would be a warning and notification of the event, reaching the Police and Fire Departments first; then control of where City staff would go and evacuations, if necessary; then notification of a historic property being involved would go out. The structure would be secured and stabilized, building inspection and a structural engineer brought in, damage assessment, recovery and salvage. Debris would also be cleared, utilities restored, and the insurance company would be contacted. Then a recovery plan. Novak-Krebs displayed the Historic Preservation Response Network, showing the relevant staff and contacts. At some point, SHPO would also be informed. Novak- Krebs added specific contacts for specific sites such as Camp Edenwood (John LeBlanc, et cetera). She included a list of consultants with experience with historic preservation, some of whom had architects on staff. Novak-Krebs displayed a damage assessment checklist from SHPO and a site maintenance list for the Cummins Phipps Grill House. She noted that even exterior work had been included (such as the outhouse, well house and the interpretive panels). She stated she would meet with The Fire Department about the Emergency Operations Plan. She had also spoken with Kathie Case about documentation. Fisher suggested an audio-video tour of historic properties would be valuable. VI. Old Business A. Update on book project Maxwell stated Tea Rozman, the co-founder of Green Card Voices, would come in to explain how she had published her books. She would also be able to describe how she used Kickstarter and other funding sources to fund books she has published and about documenting the stories of recent immigrants. Thorp stated Case was interviewing Minnie Otherday. Novak-Krebs stated the project was in Phase 1.5, and the subcommittee would meet soon with the consultants. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES February 23, 2026 Page 4 VII. Reports of Subcommittees A. Native American Outreach B. New Heritage Preservation Site Designation C. Renovation/Maintenance/Development D. Documentation/Historical Recordings/Outreach VIII. Reports of Commission and Staff Novak-Krebs stated she had no updates on the Dorenkemper bookstore project. IX. Reports of Students Lau stated the students had reported research was completed, and they were in the process of assigning roles. They would give an update at the next meeting. X. Reports of Historical Society Bowes stated the Annual Meeting would be held Thursday, April 16 at Camp Edenwood at 5:30 p.m.. He encouraged all commission members to attend. The former Chief Justice Paul Anderson would speak. Pizza would also be served. The Vintage Sale would be held on May 1 and 2 at the Cummins Phipps Grill House. XI. FYI Items XII. Next Meeting The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, March 16, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage Rooms, City Hall. XIII. Adjournment MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Bowes to adjourn. Motion carried 6 -0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:43 p.m.