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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 06/18/2007 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY,JUNE 18, 2007 7:00 P.M. Prairie Rooms A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS Betsy Adams, Chairperson; Ann Higgins, Vice Chairperson; Richard Akerlund, Nina Mackay, Mark McPherson,Ed Muehlberg, Jane Plaza COMMISSION STAFF John Gertz, Historic Preservation Specialist Peggy Rasmussen, Recorder I. ROLL CALL Adams called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Commissioners Mackay and Muehlberg were excused. Robert Vogel was present to lead the discussion on the Cummins House Reuse Study. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Higgins moved, seconded by Plaza, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —MAY 21, 2007 MOTION: Plaza moved, seconded by Higgins, to approve the minutes of the Heritage Preservation Commission, held on May 21, 2007, as published. Motion carried 5-0. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. PRESERVE MINNESOTA WORKSHOP Higgins reported that she attended this one-day event on June 12 at the Minnesota History Center. She said it was a well-run workshop. Her biggest impression was that there are a lot of places that have downtown historic districts. Higgins received a list of cities that are in the Certified Local Government program and the grants they have been awarded. She had not realized that Eden Prairie's participation in the program goes back as far as it does and how the City has benefited from that program. She noted there were a couple of situations when Eden Prairie worked with the local schools on a CLG grant and said the educational aspect is a benefit to children. Adams also attended the workshop. Instead of using outside speakers to present the program, she said they used members of the History Center staff who are experts in their field. They spoke about what they have been doing and what they plan to do. There was a lot of applause for the Web sites of New Ulm and Faribault. Adams recommended looking at them for ideas on how our HPC's Web site could be improved. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES June 18, 2007 Page 2 B. ANDERSON SCHOOL HOUSE Adams reported she has found out that the cost to rebuild the school house has increased substantially and more funds have to be raised. That will probably cause the project to be delayed another year. Gertz said he requested a variance from the City to locate the rebuilt school in front of Prairie View Elementary. The request will be heard at the Planning Commission meeting on June 25. If passed, Gertz said work would have to begin within one year of that date. Gertz said he could pull the request from the Planning Commission's agenda if that appears to be necessary. V. OLD BUSINESS A. J.R. CUMMINS HOUSE REUSE STUDY Gertz reported he and Robert Vogel met with Terry Picha at the Cummins property earlier that day. He is a local farmer who offered his services to help establish heritage gardens and could even design them. Picha said he is willing to select heritage plants for the Cummins property and start them in his greenhouse. The "Cummins House Management Plan Outline" was reviewed and discussed. Vogel explained that every heritage site should have a management plan. In the future, if any changes to the property are requested, the management plan gives the decision-makers a resource to use. It also allows the HPC to focus its vision further into the future. The management plan has to be adaptable to the property's use and would be appropriate for the Cummins property whether its future use is public or private. Vogel said it would be a good idea to come up with a cyclical review of management planning. Regarding interpretation of the site, Vogel said even if the property was to be completely privatized, there would still be room for interpretation. They would want to have an interpretation plan and some kind of thematic framework. There are two resources for this purpose: the house and the property around the house. The peony garden will be treated as a separate resource. There is the horticultural heritage, the cultural heritage and family history. Vogel referred to the architect A. J. Downing, who wrote an architecture guide for rural homes in 1852 that included designs for farmhouses, similar to the Cummins House. He also wrote a treatise on landscape gardening. It is known that J.R. Cummins was interested in those types of ideas and may have modeled his home and gardens after Downing's designs. Vogel pointed out that the new landscape plan could use this concept, called the Country Life Movement, and use traditional 191h century landscape plantings. Adams said Cummins had apple orchards, and she wondered if there was some way apple trees could be incorporated into the landscape. Vogel said it would be difficult to grow apple trees here. He recommended using ornamental trees instead. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES June 18, 2007 Page 3 Regarding trails, it is hoped the City would lay out the trails around the property and pathways through the gardens. Vogel said serious thought should be given to screening the front of the house from the highway. Vogel and Gertz had discussed which elevations of the house would be most desirable to see as you drive past the house, and they agreed it should be the east side of the house. Vogel said there is no way to preserve or reconstruct the original appearance of the house from the highway. Gertz added that the side facing the road would not be entirely screened and trees would frame it. Adams said she would like to show people driving by what the front of the house looks like. Gertz said people would have a pleasant vista as they drive down the access road and see the east side of the house with the gardens in front. The monument markers are perpendicular to the highway and one of those will be placed at the new access road. Gertz reported the parking plan is being reevaluated. He met with the Parks department staff and talked about moving the ball fields closer together, which would reduce the pressure for parking on the Cummins site. He didn't know if that is going to happen, but the Parks department is willing to do it if the ball fields could be moved closer together. They would be making the final decision. Gertz said if it works out, there would be a significant reduction of parking on the Cummins property. Vogel said a paved parking lot is a major intrusion on the site, more so than the highway project. Vogel reported that the contracting phase of the landscape plan has started. MnDOT is providing 80% of the money and the County 20%. He wants to have some input on the landscape plan. MnDOT has regulations to follow regarding getting on and off the highway and will only allow a minimum amount of signage. That might affect signage at the entrance road into the site, making the sign so obscure people would not see it. Plaza said with the new emphasis on landscape, she would prefer the title of the management plan outline document be changed to "Cummins House and Property Management Plan Outline", and that change was accepted. Adams noted that the document is very generic. Vogel replied the idea is not to make it too complicated by being too specific. For example, it just has to mention "historic vegetation", nothing specific. Gertz said they would actually prefer to use the word "heritage" rather than "historic" because it seems more all-encompassing. Heritage implies just about anything that has cultural value. Vogel said he has been working on the scenarios for the reuse study. For the aviation scenario he wants to contact a person who is involved with the airport. Akerlund suggested Vogel talk to the Commissioners on the City's Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission. Gertz said he would discuss it with Scott Kipp, the staff person who works with the Commission. There was a discussion about the condition of the Cummins house and the Smith house. Gertz said the Smith house was just a shell of a house when the City began to restore it. Adams pointed out all the historic sites are structurally sound HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES June 18, 2007 Page 4 and the integrity is there. An amazing job has been done to get them back to the place where adaptive reuse can be considered. Vogel said what these houses reflect is what happened there. The heritage of rural life is eroding through time. Regardless of what the reuse of the Cummins house is, it will stay in this form. The Commission will have to decide what features can be thrown out and what features have to be saved, and then prioritize them. That is one area where management plans can help. McPherson referenced Section IL D., "Interpretation, Education & Visitor Services" and asked if this part of the plan is based on what the property is going to be used for. Vogel said he tried to make the management plan as broadly applicable as possible, and that there would be more about specific plans at the next meeting. B. GLEN LAKE CHILDREN'S CAMP Gertz reported that the camp is open now. However, many areas are off limits to the campers because of construction activities. He told the Commissioners they could visit the camp but should check in at the office when they arrive. Gertz said there is still a lot of work left to do in September after the camp closes. They ran out of time to get all of the fixtures installed, so they are using temporary ones. The work they did get done is impressive. Volunteer carpenters, masons and electricians did a great deal of work. A large stockpile of dirt that was excavated has been moved off the site. The architectural firm Van Sickle, Allen and Associates has almost completed the site plan. They are also thinking of adding to that some new trails and removal of some of the non-heritage trails. They will also put in trails to meet accessibility standards. Gertz said the site plans are to be sent to the watershed district for review in July. He would like the HPC to review them as well. Mark Buechel from the SHPO has not yet seen the site plan. Gertz reported that the watershed district is going to restore Birch Island Lake to its historic lake level. That will change the setbacks for the shoreline area. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. DORNKEMPER HOUSE Gertz said he had planned to have some volunteers work on the house this summer and hopefully open it up for Sun Bonnet Days, with the Historical Society in charge of programming. However, Gertz said he has run out of volunteer help. Lori Beneke, a member of the Historical Society who had offered her assistance, has moved out of the area. The Historical Society is now busy with other projects, and the members do not have time to volunteer their help. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES June 18, 2007 Page 5 Gertz said he would like to take this off the Historical Society's list of projects and hopes the HPC can take on the finishing project. He needs people to work with him on the program plan. If the members know someone who could help with this work, it would be appreciated. He will also place ads in the newspapers to ask for volunteers. In addition, Sandy Werts has a long list of volunteers he could tap into. Volunteers can do painting and wallpapering. Higgins said she thought the HPC should take on this project, and she would be glad to help. Akerlund said Gertz could contact the Rotary and Lions clubs to see if their members would be willing to help. Also, Boy Scout troops have to do volunteer work to earn badges, and senior scouts might want to take it on for an Eagle Scout project. Adams suggested asking Molly Gilbertson (a former Commission member and interior decorator) to pull together a refinishing plan. Gertz said he would contact her. She has already figured out what the paint colors should be. Adams said the Historical Society has paid to have old pieces of furniture from the Dornkemper House refinished, so there is some furniture that is available that could be on permanent loan which is part of the Society's collection. Gertz said a period of significance has been established for the property, but they need to define what is needed and get people together to discuss how to finish furnishing the home. Adams said there is a meeting of the Historical Society on June 20. She will be there and can tell the members that the HPC is interested in spearheading completion of this project. She will ask if there is anyone who can help. Gertz said he has access to some cookbooks that could be used to prepare meals on the wood stove and then served outside. The house has a functioning pitcher pump so water could be brought there and connected, or they could build a cistern. There is an icebox that is original to the home and has been refinished. Gertz said he would recommend that the Historical Society work with the City's Parks department to run a heritage program at the house when it is finished. VII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Higgins moved, seconded by Plaza, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Adams adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m.