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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 03/16/2026Approved Meeting Minutes Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Commission 7 p.m. Monday, March 16, 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: Jeremy Barnhart, 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 Hesby, Rohde, Crider and Siddavatam were absent. II. Reading of the Land Acknowledgement Statement Lau read the Land Acknowledgement Statement. Fisher noted the total property value of Eden Prairie was 50 billion dollars, at least 10 percent of which (5 billion) represented the scale of the theft from indigenous communities by the government. III. Approval of Agenda MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Fisher, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 7-0. IV. Approval of Minutes A. Heritage Preservation Commission meeting held Monday, February 23, 2026 MOTION: Maxwell moved, seconded by Bowes, to approve the minutes of the Heritage Preservation Commission Tuesday, February 23, 2025. Motion carried 7-0. V. New Business HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES March 16, 2026 A. Update from Students on Video Project Agrawal stated the student representatives had made good progress, completing the research and finalizing the script. The next steps were to record the voice overs and gather photographs. Allen added they were planning to set up an interview with John LeBlanc. Sisinni gave him the contact information. Allen stated the project was in good shape, expected completion by April meeting. It would be five to six minutes in length. Discussion followed on the potential to have this completed in time for the City Banquet on May 14. Bowes announced the True Friends was trying to raise 1.5 million dollars and had raised $825,000.00 so far from private dollars. Sisinni suggested the video be sent to John LeBlanc when completed. B. Discussion with Tea Rozman from Green Card Voices Maxwell introduced Tea Rozman from Green Card Voices. Rozman detailed her oral history philosophy as telling “history from below,” incorporating stories and voices intentionally or unintentionally set aside from formal history. She stated she was born in Czechoslovakia, and the genocide of 8,000 people 13 years ago inspired her to co-create Green Card Voices to humanize and build empathy toward the immigrant population. The organization had a current budget of one million dollars and had spread to six states. She stated the grants the organization used were project-specific and difficult to get. The organization moved to a social entrepreneurial model, an educational storytelling resource shared with care. It published 16 books, the Green Card Youth Stories series, and created curricula along with a traveling exhibit and an informative card game. The organization moved toward crowdfunding via Kickstarter. 80 percent of their books were funded through Kickstarter. Indigogo was an alternate crowdfunding platform. Kickstarter requires a realistic budget, after which the person/organization has 30 days to raise the funding goal. If the goal is not met, the funds revert to the donors. Rozman added her organization utilized offset versus digital printing, though digital was more cost-effective for a lower volume of books printed. The organization typically orders at a minimum 3,000 copies, because a higher volume produced lower printing costs. Their printer was Versa, since working with a Chinese printer had caused delivery delays. Kickstarter was also a means of promotion. She offered to share her resources with the commission. Budgeting beforehand was key, as was building relationships. Educational institutions were their largest audience. Teaching today was about interesting and motivating students, which their book series had accomplished. Teachers also loved assigning locally relevant HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES March 16, 2026 subjects. She suggested tying in events such as walking tours and summer camps, workbooks, and other programming. The books included QR codes for more information. Schumacher rhetorically asked if the commission, being a government entity, could take advantage of this crowdfunding model, or if the Historical Society could do so. Discussion followed on this question. Sisinni noted the commission did not really have a social media platform to underpin a Kickstarter model. Schumacher wondered about the advantages of print-on-demand versus ordering a certain number of printed copies outright. Discussion followed on which method would be appropriate. Sisinni asked for and received confirmation the donors were thanked in the resulting books. However, Rozman stressed that crowdfunding was not a tax write-off. The average retail price of the books was $20.00. Also, unique history books such as her organization’s and the project by the commission could have a shelf life of 10 years or longer. Schumacher commended Lau’s idea of having the commission’s book project be a part of the curriculum at Eden Prairie Schools. Lau commended the traveling exhibit idea. Rozman stated the exhibit had a warranty for replacement and could also be rented out. She stressed the public respected books for a price over free books. She suggested talking to the schools now about funding and support. The book project would also be relevant outside of Eden Prairie. C. Reminder that the Nomination Window for the Heritage Preservation Award is Open Schumacher announced nominations were open for the Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Award until April 10. Supreme Court Justice Anderson would be nominated by Kathie Case. Discussion followed on potential nominees. Sisinni asked for and received confirmation HPC commission members could submit nominations. . D. Discuss Commission Changes in April Schumacher announced Lau and he were stepping down. Barnhart announced Nancy Cass and Betsey Woods would be the new commission members. Robert Bowes would be chair. Schumacher stated he was moving to the Planning Commission. VI. Old Business VII. Reports of Subcommittees A. Native American History Outreach B. New Heritage Preservation Site Designations HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES March 16, 2026 C. Renovation/Maintenance/Development D. Documentation/Historical Recordings/Outreach VIII. Reports of Commission and Staff VIII. Reports of Students IX. Reports of Historical Society A. Report of Historical Society Members 1. Bowes stated the Annual Meeting April 16 at Camp Eden Wood at 5:30 p.m. The Prop Shop sale would be held May 1 and 2. 2. Stanton stated he was interviewing Nancy Litman for the Eden Prairie Mall Project. 3. Bowes stated Paul Thorp’s grandson would build an arbor at the Cummins Phipps Grill House as part of an Eagle Scout badge project. X. Other Business A. Other Business XI. Next Meeting The next Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting will be held on April 20, 2026 XII. Adjournment MOTION: Sisinni moved, seconded by Fisher, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Schumacher adjourned the meeting at 8:14 p.m.