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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 09/18/2006 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2006 7:00 P.M. Prairie Rooms A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS Betsy Adams, Chairperson; Nina Mackay, Vice Chairperson; Richard Akerlund, Bob Amell,Ann Higgins, Ed Muehlberg, Jane Plaza STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Nathan Wagner,Alexandra Shea, Lauren Bentz COMMISSION STAFF John Gertz, Historic Preservation Specialist; Peggy Rasmussen, Recorder I. ROLL CALL Adams called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Gertz was unable to be present. Student Representative Bentz was absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Adams added A., Welcome to Student Representatives and B., Unauthorized Work at Glen Lake Children's Camp, under Item IV. MOTION: Mackay moved, seconded by Akerlund, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 7-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —AUGUST 21, 2006 A correction was made on page 6, in the fourth paragraph, the sixth sentence, which should read " . . . act on the windows tonight and conduct a complete review . . ." On page 8, under V.2, the third sentence was corrected to read " . . . the sign has more copy and larger photos than many of the others." Also on page 8, under V.3., the last sentence was corrected to read " . . . due in about a month and should provide useful information." On page 9, under VII., the motion to adjourn was seconded by Higgins, not Mackay, who was absent. MOTION: Plaza moved, seconded by Higgins, to approve the minutes of the Heritage Preservation Commission held on August 21, 2006, as published and amended. Motion carried 7-0. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. Welcome to Student Representatives Student Representatives Alexandra (Alexie) Shea and Nathan Wagner were welcomed. Alexie is a Junior and Nathan is a Senior at Eden Prairie High School. The Commissioners also introduced themselves to the students. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 18, 2006 Page 2 B. Unauthorized Work at Glen Lake Children's Camp Adams referenced the memo from Gertz sent to the Commissioners, in which he reported that all work on the exterior of the camp buildings has been stopped. This was necessary to prevent ongoing unauthorized work observed during a meeting at the camp last week by State Historical Architect Mark Buechel, Ed Stracke of Friendship Ventures, Councilmember Butcher, City Manager Scott Neal, and Gertz. They noticed all the siding and windows had been removed from the east side of the north wing on the dormitory. All window trim had been discarded in a dumpster, and most siding was damaged in the removal process. This has caused real damage to the historic materials at the camp, and further loss could seriously impact the camp's National Register standing. After that meeting, Friendship Ventures was notified via a letter from Scott Neal that this loss of historic materials was viewed as a breach in the management and use of the camp, and further unauthorized work would put Friendship Ventures lease of the camp in jeopardy. Copies of Neal's letter were distributed to the Commissioners. SHPO would be sending a similar letter. Adams said she has spoken to Georgann Rumsey of Friendship Ventures. They have a meeting planned for next week with the SHPO and Scott Neal to discuss these issues. Adams read an e-mail she received from Gertz after hearing from Buechel at SHPO that he is not allowing replacement of the windows. Buechel believes the old ones are repairable, and if replaced would be in violation of National Register standards. Gertz had approved the replacement windows because he believed they did meet the standards. In the memo Gertz recommended that the HPC prepare a letter to the City Council that would provide background on the problem, and explain the need for Friendship Ventures to respect the historic preservation issues being faced in trying to accommodate their desire to rehabilitate the buildings. Adams said Gertz believes it would be a good idea to have a letter on record that would indicate the HPC's view of the situation. Adams asked the Commissioners for authorization to write the letter and send it to the Council. She would first give copies to the Commissioners for review and approval. Amell stated he would not be comfortable sending such a letter to the City Council, and would not want to be connected with it if the nature of the correspondence is to vilify Friendship Ventures. Adams explained that the letter would be the HPC's perception of what has transpired. It does not have anything to do with the mission of Friendship Ventures, but with following correct procedures and timelines. The HPC is all about stewardship of the historic properties. Adams said nothing would be sent to the Council with anyone's name on it without his or her permission. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 18, 2006 Page 3 Mackay said when Commissioners took a tour of the property in April, Gertz noticed work had been done in the previous months that was not along the lines he expected and his reaction seemed to indicate there were problems. That tour helped Commissioners get a better understanding of how the procedures work. Muehlberg said the issue he has had for a long time is that the HPC has been asked by Friendship Ventures to give approval to their requests so they could go to the Council shortly after for final approval, but the information to be reviewed was not given to the Commissioners in a timely way. There is an issue with the procedure not meeting the kind of review standards the HPC needs. Muehlberg added there is a question of when the HPC requests reviews. The HPC needs to be proactive. Akerlund said he understands Friendship Ventures has been told they will receive grant money from the SHPO for their project. However, if Mark Buechel has concerns, they probably would not receive the grant unless they conform to SHPO standards. Adams said she had believed that the motion made by the Commission at its last meeting, to accept replacement windows meeting the Secretary of Interior's standards, would be accepted by SHPO because that makes sense. The problems are that Friendship Ventures has been destroying historic material and taking action without going through the right procedures. Higgins said when Gertz and the Commissioners went out to the site in July, she noticed the shock in his face as soon as he saw the foundation work. Higgins had the feeling there was a lack of communication between Friendship Ventures and the City. On the one hand, she thought the people from Friendship Ventures who were at the August meeting understood what was agreed upon; but when she read the memo from Gertz about what was going on at the site, she realized that was not the case. Higgins noted that part of the work out at the site involves some of the construction unions, who have contributed half a million dollars in labor and material. She wondered if there is a misunderstanding about what they are supposed to do, and if they have been doing things they should not. Adams said it appears there are some disconnects between the various parties. Adams stated she believes the SHPO needs to be convinced that the replacement windows are acceptable and that they are needed at the camp. The HPC understands that. Plaza said she has looked through minutes from last year and the HPC has taken actions in support of Friendship Ventures. The Commission has taken action to promote their requests to make the camp a more user-friendly site. The HPC also made a motion in support of them getting a State grant. However, Plaza said she was surprised when she watched Ed Stracke being interviewed last week on Channel 11 News, and saw that the windows were out of the building. Plaza said part of the HPC's job is to protect property that is on the National Register. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 18, 2006 Page 4 Akerlund stated the HPC wants to be sure it can get local designation for the camp. Adams said she believed the HPC has tried to do all the things stated in the nomination form "to ensure that the integrity of significant historic features is preserved." V. OLD BUSINESS A. Glen Lake Children's Camp Plans Gertz had asked Stuart Bailey to submit the plans for review by SHPO and the City, and they were available for the HPC to review at this meeting. Mark Buechel at SHPO will be reviewing and commenting first, and sending comments to the City and Friendship Ventures. Gertz said in his memo that no action from the HPC would be required until comments on the plans are received from SHPO. Adams asked Muehlberg to help the Commissioners in reviewing the plans. Muehlberg said the plans look fairly complete. He pointed out that on sheet A-3, Revision 2, the plans do not call for removal of the siding. Sheet A-8 for the dormitory detail shows that two inches of furring are being added to the existing studs. Adams said she would pass these observations on to Gertz. Adams said she wanted to make sure the plans reflect all the discussions with Friendship Ventures from the August HPC meeting. She was glad to see that those items are noted on the plans, which are dated 9/12/06. B. Birch Island Park Trail Plan Adams said Bob Lambert passed along this plan for the proposed trail in Birch Island Park to the HPC for review as a courtesy. The plans do not indicate any Indian Mounds in that area. Gertz believes all the Indian Mounds within the City have been identified. Mackay said this trail plan was discussed at the City Council meeting last week. C. CLG Grant—Local Desisnation Final Review Adams reported the local designation forms have been reviewed by the SHPO and have come back with their approval. Gertz hopes at the next HPC meeting to begin the process for public hearings and subsequently request approval for local designation from the City Council. It will take until sometime in 2007 to complete the process. The HPC will decide if they want to pursue all three designations at this time. Gertz had asked the Commissioners review the documents and let him know if they have any further comments. If not, he will close the grant, submit the final documentation to SHPO, and request reimbursement. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 18, 2006 Page 5 Commissioners had questions on pages 2 and 3 of the Glen Lake Children's Camp document. Under "Present Use" on page 2, perhaps the statement should read "The historic property is programmed as a recreational facility." On page 3, under "General Character", it states that the property's current function is as a summer residence camp, but Friendship Ventures plans to change it to a year- around camp. Adams said whether to change that sentence would depend on the date when the change is approved. Adams thought the statement "The property's current function as a summer residence camp ." should be placed under "Present Use." On page 4 of the Bush Log Cabin document, under "Outbuilding", Higgins inquired if the outbuilding will be considered as valuable a resource for the future as the log cabin. With the outbuilding standing there in a deteriorating state, she wondered if there is any reason why the HPC should consider having it taken down. Would it be a temptation to someone to start a fire? Adams replied the Commission might not want it included in this description, because of possible problems for the HPC if it has to be taken down. Adams said she would bring these comments to Gertz. D. Dunn Bros. Coffee Shop The memo from Gertz contained the information that Dunn Bros. Coffee Shop has been sold to a business partnership of two women. The new owners are Eden Prairie residents and have acquired the franchise rights from Dunn Bros., so it will be a locally owned franchise, not a corporate store. VI. NEW BUSINESS VII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Mackay moved, seconded by Muehlberg, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 7-0. Adams adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m.