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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 09/20/2004 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 7:00 P.M. Prairie Rooms A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS Betsy Adams, Chairperson; Jennie Brown, Vice Chairperson; Bob Amell, Deborah Barkley, Molly Gilbertson, Elise Kist COMMISSION STAFF John Gertz, Historic Preservation Specialist; Peggy Rasmussen, Recorder I. ROLL CALL Adams called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Commissioner Barkley was excused. Janet Jeremiah, Director of Community Development, was in attendance. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Under New Business, Adams added a discussion about increasing the Commission to seven members, and Gertz added a presentation by Brad Madsen on a proposed Eagle Scout project at Riley-Jacques Farm. MOTION: Kist moved, seconded by Brown, to approve the agenda as published and amended. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —July 19, 2004 Gilbertson made a change on page 4; the last sentence in the second paragraph under Anderson School Restoration should read "The greeting card depicting the school in water colors is being sold at Dunn Bros. in the Smith-Douglas-More House to raise money for the school." MOTION: Brown moved, seconded by Abell, to approve the minutes of the meeting of the Heritage Preservation Commission, held on July 19, 2004, as published and amended. Motion carried 5-0. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF V. OLD BUSINESS A. Cemetery Management Plan and Registration Gertz said members of the HPC expressed their preference for not recommending that the old section of the Pleasant Hill Cemetery be closed to any new burials. As a result, Robert Vogel changed Section V. "Site Treatment Plan", to state ". . . the Heritage Preservation Commission recommends no new burials in Old Section lots where there is reason to believe unrecorded graves are present." HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 20, 2004 Page 2 Gertz has discussed this with Wes Dunsmore, who maintains the cemetery for the City's Parks department. He said when digging for a new burial in the old section they may encounter existing burials there, and he would find it impossible to be sure there are no other burials in that section. He would recommend that no new burials be made in those areas where there is confusion in the burial records. Other new sections could be opened up, however. Dunsmore is looking for someone to take the records and align them plot by plot. Over the years some people did a better job than others of recording grave locations, and that is why there is confusion. The paupers' section is unmarked. The records indicate graves by plot number, but they could be incomplete or missing. Gertz didn't know if it is possible to resolve all of the questions. Adams asked Gertz if the document could be worded so a family would be able to get permission to bury someone in a plot owned by the family in the old section. Some of those plots belong to people who have already made plans to bury family members there. She said the City Council and Parks department should understand the HPC is not trying to prevent a family member being buried there. Gertz replied there would not be time to get the records updated to determine which of those plots are full before the document goes to the City Council. Gertz said another reason for limiting new burials in the old section is that new burials would open it up to new monuments and grave markers. It is all about how burials impact the historical integrity of the cemetery. Gertz recommended this part of the Site Treatment Plan be rewritten. The intention had more to do with preservation of the old cemetery than control of burials; however, the wording makes it appear to be the reverse. Jeremiah suggested rewriting it to indicate what they are attempting to accomplish rather than what is not allowed. Someone could try to get the cemetery's records in order. After that, every effort should be made to preserve the old section within the City's legal rights. City staff can determine whether that needs to be addressed in any manner. Gertz said he would rewrite the section and then the whole document could be reviewed and approved at the next meeting. B. Anderson School Restoration Adams reported the task force is hoping to have the kick-off for the project in November when they make presentations to corporate and civic leaders. Adams asked Yvonne Grover to write the grant applications to raise money for the project. She has attended one fundraising meeting and offered to volunteer her services. However, grants cannot be applied for until the budget is completed, which will be ready in time for the November kick-off. The HTC students are expected to begin work in the fall of 2005 and continue in HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 20, 2004 Page 3 the spring of 2006. The task force hopes to have the grand opening in the summer of 2006. One of the students is building a scale model for the task force, which would be helpful in making presentations to the corporate sponsors. C. Riley-Jacques Barn Update Gertz reports the work is substantially complete, and the contractors are expected to be finished within the week. Dedication of the restored barn will be Sunday, September 26, at 1:30 p.m., followed by activities until 4:00 p.m. Adams recommended that HPC members be at the dedication, if possible, to celebrate its completion. John Gertz has worked very hard on this project and the Commission made some decisions that allowed it to go forward. Gertz said the first event at the barn has already been held. Soul Fire's "Prairie Jam" was held on Friday, September 17, for 500 teen-agers. The barn was well suited for that type of event. Many programs at the barn are expected from spring through fall. D. Cummins-Grill House Projects Gertz distributed the "Reuse Planning Summary" for the J.R. Cummins Homestead. He said it summarizes all of the discussions the HPC has had in the past, including the discussion with the Historical Society's J.R. Cummins Homestead Task Force. Some of the major issues have been updated and Miller- Dunwiddie Architects recently updated the costs. The preliminary budget total is $720,400. Because of projected uses for the house, the goal has been changed from restoration to rehabilitation. Gertz suggested the Commission dedicate a future meeting to discussion of this subject. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Brad Madsen's Proposal for an Eagle Scout Project at Riley-Jacques Farm Brad Madsen, a Boy Scout with Troop 35, made a proposal for a landscaping project at the Riley-Jacques Farmstead. He would make a wood-chip path from the water fountain to a nearby tree, with plantings around the tree. There would be a bench under the tree, facing the Dorenkemper house. The project would require tearing up some sod. He would be working with up to 15 other Scouts, with supervision by two adults. He plans to do the work on a weekend in October. Brad will have a $200 budget from the Parks department to work with. The budget would cover the use of plastic edging. However, if he uses interlocking red bricks instead, the cost of that would be $50 over the budget. Gertz said he didn't think the Parks department would approve an additional $50. Brad would have to get donated funds or donated bricks. From a maintenance perspective, it would be preferable to use edging that is close to the ground. Plastic edging has been used in the rest of the landscaping. Brad agreed plastic would be best. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 20, 2004 Page 4 Brown asked if there would be any objection to removing some sod. Gertz said that should not be a problem as the project would be an improvement to the appearance of the property. Gertz believed the sod could be used right on the site. Perhaps he or someone from the Parks Department could go out there while Brad and the others are working and tell them where to put the sod. The plants they will use are day lilies and hostas. Once they are planted, Gertz said the City is responsible for maintaining the area. MOTION: Kist moved, seconded by Brown, to approve Brad Madsen's plan for an Eagle Scout project at Riley-Jacques Farmstead. Motion carried 5-0. Brown suggested the City Council be asked to recognize the Eagle Scouts once they have completed their projects. There have been three in the past 12 months. Gertz said he believed the City Council would want to do that after this latest project is completed in October. B. CLG Grant Application Schedule Gertz said pre-applications for the next round of CLG grants are due January 14, 2005, and the final due date for the grant applications is February 18, 2005. If approved, the grants would be used to pay the cost of writing background information needed for designation of the three historic sites the HPC has previously selected: Staring Lake Outdoor Center, the Consolidated School and the Indian Road Corridor. Gertz said before the applications are submitted, the HPC will review the properties. This year's CLG grant was used to fund Robert Vogel's work on the two local cemeteries. C. Dorenkemper House Restoration Gertz reported that he has not received the estimates from contractors, which are overdue, on the cost of finishing the restoration work. He gave them a list of tasks that needed to be done. Gertz said the City has not approved any funding for this work, but staff has discussed various options. Jeremiah said, when estimates are received, that information would be submitted to the City Council, which can then decide whether they want to move this project to the top of their list of priorities. Gertz said if he receives them within the next week, he would like to send those figures through to the Council. Once the house is restored, it would be eligible for designation as a historic site, even though it has been moved. Then the HPC would have more to say about the building's future. D. Prioritizing Funding for Historic Properties Gertz said he would like to discuss all the historic properties at the next meeting of the HPC to consider the funding needs, including restoration and maintenance costs, and to prioritize them. The primary focus would be the Cummins-Grill HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 20, 2004 Page 5 house; however, the exterior of the Riley-Jacques house needs serious maintenance work. He is going to prepare information on the Riley-Jacques house similar to the Cummins-Grill house for the Commissioners. The HPC will discuss all the maintenance, restoration, and reuse issues for each of the City-owned properties, including the Smith-Douglas-More house. In addition, Gertz said private properties that have been designated as historic sites by the City should be addressed, because the owners have questions about financing, tax incentives, etc. Because this discussion will take a considerable amount of time, the next meeting of the HPC, on October 18, will begin at 6:00 P.M. E. Adding a Seventh Member to the Commission Adams recommended making an attempt to fill out the Commission by adding a seventh member, even though half the term is over. She asked if Gertz or the Commissioners knew of somebody they could recommend. Gertz said he knows of a new Eden Prairie resident from Brazil, an architect that has training in historic preservation and teaches a course on conservation of historic buildings. He had expressed an interest in attending a recent meeting of the HPC, but did not come. Gertz said he would try to contact him about coming to a meeting soon. VII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Brown moved, seconded by Gilbertson, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Adams adjourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m.