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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 07/15/2003 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP/FORUM TUESDAY,JULY 15, 2003 CITY CENTER 5:00- 6:25 PM,HERITAGE ROOM II 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher,Ron Case, and Jan Mosman, and Philip Young CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Police Chief Dan Carlson,Fire Chief George Esbensen,Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, Director of Parks and Recreation Bob Lambert,Management and Budget Director Don Uram, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters Heritage Room II I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER Councilmember Case served as Acting Mayor in Mayor Tyra-Lukens' absence. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA III. DISCUSSION TOPICS A. Heritage Preservation Vision City Manager Scott Neal said this workshop is a follow-up to the Heritage Preservation workshop held in March 2003. Neal summarized conclusions Council reached at that meeting,mainly that that Council does want to do historic preservation,but they want to do it in a way that gets them"the most bang for the buck,"including pursuing private partnerships. Neal said earlier in the summer staff had requested that action on a site alteration permit for the Riley-Jaques barn be delayed so they could prepare a proposal to get the project underway this year. Neal said this proposal is on the regular Council meeting agenda. The proposal includes a request for a site alteration permit; an amendment to the CIP to move money earmarked for historic preservation projects to the Riley-Jaques project; directs staff to hold discussions with the Eden Prairie Historical Society about the possibility of running a museum out of the Cummins-Grille House; and alteration plans for the Riley-Jaques Barn. City Council Workshop Minutes July 15,2003 Page 2 B. Discussion/Consensus Retarding Use of Historic Properties Parks and Recreation Director Bob Lambert provided an overview of the status of the City's four historic homes. 1. Smith-Douglas-More House—Dunn Brothers Adaptive reuse of the Smith-Douglas-More House as a Dunn Bros. coffee shop has been successful to date. 2. Camp Edenwood—Friendship Ventures Lambert said the dining hall and dormitory have been restored. The Hvlacek House is also currently being used as offices. 3. Riley-Jacques Farm—City Programs Lambert said staff feels the Riley-Jaques property has the most potential to raise interest from the public for a variety of recreational uses, such as day camps, teen dances, theatre productions, and the annual Sun Bonnet Days event. Lambert said the historic preservation piece can also be weaved into all of these programs to generate a higher level of excitement in the community about historic preservation. 4. Cummins-Phipps-Grill House—Eden Prairie Historical Society Lambert said one idea for the Cummins House is to offer the space to the Eden Prairie Historical Society for use as a museum. He said staff feels the house would accommodate this type of use, and it would help make it more visible to the public. Lambert said he believes the Historical Society would blossom in this space. C. Reallocation of Historic Preservation Funding Budget Lambert said that in order to have the Riley-Jacques Farm ready for programming by 2005, the Council would need to approve reallocation of CIP funds now. Finance Director Uram referenced two handouts. The first handout shows funding for and income from historic properties. The second handout details current allocation of CIP funds for historic properties for 2002-2007. Uram said the proposed reallocation of funds would leave funding for the Riley-Jaques farm only in the historic preservation budget. However,Uram pointed out, a projected revenue stream of about$100,000 per year from the Cummins-Grille House/Dunn Bros. venture is currently earmarked for historic preservation. Uram said other historic projects could be reprioritized by Council based on the Dunn Bros. revenue stream. Butcher said she loves the idea of opening up the Riley-Jaques Barn,but feels the Council would be making a major philosophical shift from improving all the properties equally. Butcher said she would like the Heritage Preservation Commission(HPC)to have input on this topic. She said the idea of having the Historical Society in the Cummins House is fascinating,but she doesn't believe it City Council Workshop Minutes July 15,2003 Page 3 would be cost-free. Butcher said the move itself will cost money, and displays cases and climate control will be required. Neal noted that the Historical Society would retain their current space on the lower level of City Center,but that it would be used mainly for storage. Mosman said she envisions a history museum in the Cummins House as a place where things are more"touchable." Butcher said there are many different models for history museums,which is why the Council needs to have a philosophical discussion on the use of its historic properties. She said they need a clear vision, and they need to get it on paper. Case noted that Council is currently being asked only to authorize talks with the Historical Society,not to make a final decision on this issue. Butcher said it would be important to check out whether grants from the State could still be obtained if the Cummins House is used by the Historical Society. Neal said these are issues that would be discussed with any organization that might occupy the space. Case suggested that Council could approve moving funds to the Riley-Jaques Farm and still keep the discussion going about the best use for the Cummins House. He said the details do not need to be worked out tonight. Case said one argument in favor of the Historic Society using the Cummins House as a museum is that it will buy time for the City to obtain further funding. Butcher reiterated that she doesn't want to forsake one property in favor of another. She said Council needs to seek a balance, and perhaps do something more moderate. Case said if they continue to wait for the trickle of grants to come in it will take forever to renovate the Cummins House. He said having the Historical Society Museum housed there is the next best thing to a Dunn Bros. type venture. Butcher asked if the Heritage Preservation Commission(HPC)had been consulted about the idea of a museum in the Cummins House. HPC Chair Lori Peterson-Benike said they have not participated in this discussion to date. Neal said the City's Heritage Preservation Specialist John Gertz has been closely involved in these discussions. Neal said staff has also contacted two Historic Society members about the museum concept. Mosman said she believes Council should go ahead and approve funding for the Riley-Jaques Barn and continue discussions with the Historical Society. Lambert said staff will discuss the Cummins proposal with the HPC, check with the State on any possible funding and use restrictions,hold talks with the Historical Society, and then report back to Council. Councilmember Young asked when the Dunn Bros. option is up and whether or not they are obligated to share financial information with the City. Uram said he is not sure when the option is up,but he believes their lease requires that they provide financial information. Mosman said she likes the creative solutions staff developed for the Riley-Jaques Barn and Cummins House and she thinks they should proceed. Butcher said she wants to see HPC brought into the process. Case said Council has already indicated that they are committed to completing renovation of the houses, so he sees no reason not to approve the staff recommendations at the Council meeting tonight. Young City Council Workshop Minutes July 15,2003 Page 4 clarified that although a majority of Council may be in favor of spending funds on historic preservation,he has not indicated that he is in complete agreement. IV. OTHER TOPICS Council Chamber V. OPEN FORUM (Scheduled participants, 6:30-6:50 p.m.) Southwest Metro Transit Executive Director Len Simich presented proposed changes to signage for which the Council approved waivers at the last meeting. He said staff had constructed and placed paper mock-ups of the banners, and agreed they were not happy with the results. Simich said they created a new banner design they feel is more appealing, and he asked Council to add a brief motion to the Council Agenda to approve the redesigned banners. Councilmember Mosman thanked Simich for the effort they put into making sure the banners are aesthetically pleasing. VI. OPEN PODIUM(Unscheduled participants, 6:50-7:00 p.m.) VII. ADJOURNMENT