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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 07/21/2003 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, July 21, 2003 7:00 P.M. Prairie Rooms A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Lori Peterson-Benike, Chairperson; Betsy Adams, Deborah Barkley,Jennie Brown, Molly Gilbertson, Elise Kist, Kati Simons COMMISSION STAFF John Gertz, Historic Preservation Specialist; Peggy Rasmussen, Recorder I. ROLL CALL Peterson-Benike called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m., with all members present. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Peterson-Benike added a discussion about the Council Workshop, held on July 15, under VIL New Business. The fundraising committee for the Jean Harris Gathering Bridge would be allowed to make their presentation whenever they arrived. MOTION: Kist moved, seconded by Brown, to approve the agenda as published and amended. Motion carried 7-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —June 16, 2003 Adams made a correction on page 2, under VLA. The last sentence of the first paragraph should read ". . . money had been donated by Ginny Dorenkemper . . . ... MOTION: Gilbertson moved, seconded by Simons, to approve the minutes of the Heritage Preservation Commission meeting held June 16, 2003, as published and amended. Motion carried 7-0. IV. JEAN HARRIS GATHERING BRIDGE PRESENTATION Basil and Mary Jane Wissner, Don Klingel and Jean Myers, members of the Gathering Bridge Fundraising Committee, gave a presentation about Mayor Jean Harris and the Gathering Bridge tribute to her, for which $150,000 in funding is being sought from local businesses and residents, and through grants. The committee has mailed out 1,900 letters to local businesses and is in the process of mailing letters to about 16,000 residents. The Gathering Bridge will be constructed in Purgatory Creek Park, with completion expected in the fall of 2004. It will be the first piece of outdoor public art in Eden Prairie. A grant of $10,000 has been received from the Eden Prairie Foundation. In order for donations to be tax deductible, the Foundation is acting as the agent for receiving them. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 21, 2003 Page 2 V. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF Gertz showed the Commissioners a pamphlet from the City of Newport with photographs and descriptions of its historic homes, which might be an idea for Eden Prairie to copy. Gertz also had the new edition of the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota guide book. Commissioners planning to attend the Minnesota Preservation Conference in New Ulm on September 18 and 19 would be asked to fill out the necessary forms and turn them in for Scott Neal to sign. The City would pay the cost of overnight lodging. The National Preservation Conference is September 30 to October 5 in Denver, for which forms would need to be filled out, signed by Scott Neal, and sent in. Gertz said he would find out if the City will be able to reimburse Commissioners who attend. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Riley-Jacques Farm Project Update Peterson-Benike reported that the City Council approved the plans for restoring the barn and renovating the site at its July 15 meeting. Gertz showed the updated plans. The barn is the main focus of the work, but the Riley-Jacques house and Cummins-Grill house are included in the bid documents. The Riley-Jacques house needs a new roof and roof ventilation, as well as repairs to the foundation. The Cummins-Grill house needs exterior restoration work, including the rear porch and the front bay window, and refinishing of the original historic doors. Peterson-Benike said she had received a phone call from an architect with Miller- Dunwiddie inquiring if she knew the dimensions of ventilators to be used in the barn. Gertz said ventilators are no longer available for the barn, so they were removed from the drawings. They could be added in the future, however. They were not on the building originally. According to the architects, drainage on the site will be modified. Three rain gardens will be eliminated and replaced by a less-expensive stormwater pond. Gertz said the Parks department has recommended screening the lower-level windows of the barn because of a concern that children might throw rocks through them. However, there was consensus among HPC members that screening would not look attractive, and they did not believe rock-throwing would be a major concern. Gertz agreed and said he would discuss this with Parks department staff. Another change is that the entrance to the site will be widened because of a concern that it didn't meet City standards. The light standards for the parking lot will be 30 feet tall and were to be elevated on three-foot concrete bases. Gertz thought the bases should be eliminated because they would make the lighting look too commercial. They will now be HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 21, 2003 Page 3 lowered to ground level. They are expected to be the type that is low-intensity and downcast. Security lighting can be accomplished through a motion-detector. With regard to lighting inside the barn, porcelain fixtures with a single bulb would be used on the lower level. In the upper level, there will be typical downcast lighting but upcast lighting will also be used in order to illuminate the ceiling of the structure. Additional lights will be suspended over the stage. The request for bids will be published later in July and bids opened 21 days later. Completion of the project is expected early in 2004. Kist reported that her son had finished work on the split-rail fence near the Dorenkemper house, which he did as an Eagle Scout project. She said several people had suggested that the City plant shrub roses along the fence. HPC members agreed this was a good idea. B. Cummins-Phipps-Grill House Update Gertz explained that the house would not be given to the Historical Society. At the last City Council meeting staff was directed to open a dialogue with the Historical Society about using the house for a museum that would be open to the pubic. The Parks and Recreation Services could still be involved in programming, but the Historical Society would be the primary user and occupant of the house. Scott Neal has said City staff and the Historical Society would work out a contractual tenant agreement. However, any uses would have to be in compliance with what the HPC would find appropriate for the building. Federal rules regarding LAWCON funds would not allow the Historical Society to have an office in the house, so they would have to keep their office and mailing address at the City Center. Gertz pointed out that the J.R. Cummins Homestead is designated as historic property, which means the Historical Society would not be allowed to change the appearance of the house without coming to the HPC for review and approval. However, Gertz said he did not expect any major changes to be requested. The HPC would be directing how the building is to be restored. C. Birch Island Villa Gertz reported that the developer's plan was approved by the Planning Board, and it will be going to the Council for final approval. Gertz will request that the developer's agreement allow time to get more recent photos of the Picha home, and for the Historical Society to salvage items from the house, before it is removed or torn down. VII. NEW BUSINESS HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 21, 2003 Page 4 A. Council Workshop—July 15, 2003 Peterson-Benike reported that the Council did not ask the HPC members to say anything during the workshop. Apparently, all the necessary information was in the packet Gertz sent to the Council. Scott Neal spoke in support of heritage preservation. The Council discussed using the proceeds from leasing the Smith House to Dunn Bros. for heritage preservation. The Council agreed they had to use current funds set aside for preservation projects to restore the barn at the Riley-Jacques farm, but would not have to eliminate future planned projects at the City's other historic sites. They said that income from Dunn Bros. could be used for that. The restored Riley- Jacques property is also expected to generate income. Gertz explained there is still $11,000 available this year, which is not in CIP funds. It is an annual amount budgeted for maintenance of the Cummins-Grill House to keep it weather-tight. Gertz said the HPC should be pro-active about keeping income from Dunn Bros. for repair or maintenance of the City's historic properties. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Adams moved, seconded by Barkley, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 7-0. Peterson-Benike adjourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m.