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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 06/19/2000 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION Monday,June 19, 2000 7:00 p.m. City Center Prairie Rooms A and B Commission Members: Jan Mosman, Chairperson; Deborah Barkley,Jennie Brown, Lori Peterson- Benike, Kati Simons,Art Weeks, Mike Wroblewski Student Representative: Mark Perry Commission Staff: John Gertz, Historic Preservation Specialist; Peggy Rasmussen, Recording Secretary I. ROLL CALL Chair Mosman called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Commissioner Weeks, Commissioner Wroblewski, and Student Representative Perry were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Gertz added a request for approval of a change in the date of the next Commission meeting from July 17 to July 10, under New Business. MOTION: Peterson-Benike moved, seconded by Barkley, to approve the agenda as published and amended. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —MAY 15, 2000 MOTION: Brown moved, seconded by Simons, to approve the minutes of the May 15, 2000 Heritage Preservation Commission meeting as published. Motion carried 5-0. IV. REPORTS AND REQUESTS Mosman reported she went to the More house last Saturday, where the tenant was holding a garage sale of her own things. The items originally in the house are stored elsewhere. If there should be an estate sale, the HPC wants to get some of the original pieces back into the house again. V. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF 2Vt Annual Statewide Historic Preservation Conference This conference will be held September 28-29 at the Alverna Center in Winona, Minnesota. Gertz said this conference is definitely worthwhile, as HPC members can find out what is going on around the state. It is sponsored by the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota and the Minnesota Historical Society. Gertz plans to go and he invited other HERITAGE PRESERVATION MINUTES June 19, 2000 Page 2 HPC members to go with him. Eden Prairie will reimburse Commission members for the cost of registration. It is mandatory for cities that have an HPC to send someone to this conference, preferably a member of the HPC, in order to have their HPC registered with the Minnesota Historical Society. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on Gym Task Force Projects Mosman reported that the task force is planning a fund-raising event in September, either the weekend of September 15th or the weekend of September 29th. There will be entertainment and food concessions. Mosman said the bleachers look very good. Lights for the stage have been ordered and the task force is working on a sound system. There is a new curtain for the stage and new blinds for the windows. The capacity in the gym has been doubled with the addition of the bleachers, which hold 240 people. It is planned to have a plaque for donors to display at the event in September. The task force decided to use a painting of the gym as it used to look, which Mosman did for the historical society, with space below for plates with the names of donors. Gertz said he has talked to Steve, the graphic artist who is working on the City's interpretive sign project, with regard to his making a sign for the poster. However,he won't be able to do it until he is finished with the City's project in August. Mosman inquired if there is money in the City's budget to pay for the gym task force's sign, as the task force has no money available. Gertz suggested that perhaps the school would be willing to split the cost of the graphics work with the City and be responsible for getting it fabricated. Gertz will ask Steve how much the graphics work will cost. B. Update on CLG Grant Project Reference was made to the letter from the Minnesota Historical Society informing the City that it is approving the CLG grant request of $750 for a National Register nomination for the Minnesota Valley Wayside. Gertz said the City would hire a consultant to put together a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Minnesota Valley overlook site. The earliest starting date would be October 1, 2000. That depends on when the City finishes the current CLG grant, as they can't overlap. By next spring the consultant will have National Register nomination finished, which will go on to Washington by mid-summer. The current CLG grant project is the interpretive signs. Steve and John are meeting on June 20 with the Historical Society to get historic photos out of the library. Steve will copy them into his laptop computer right there. Gertz said Steve has included many elements into the designs and they look very attractive. Gertz will ask him to come to the July meeting of the HPC with his laptop so the members can look at them in the computer. HERITAGE PRESERVATION MINUTES June 19, 2000 Page 3 C. Update on City Heritage Site Projects Gertz said he sent in a request to the Parks and Recreation Services for them to do some painting on the garage and shed at Riley-Jacques Farm. The paint would match the other buildings on the farm. Prisoners from Lino Lakes would be hired to do this work. Gertz also requested the prisoners work at the overlook to clear out brush that has encroached on that site. He hopes to have the work done in July. However, he wants to list the historic plant material there first. John was at the overlook site a week ago and it appeared there was more vandalism, because there were big stones still lying on the hill. Simons asked if a no-trespassing sign could be put up. Gertz said the Metropolitan Airports Commission has put up no-trespassing signs and barricades. The police are supposed to patrol the area. However, it is such a secluded spot people are not seen from the road. D. Final Review of Adaptive Reuse Proposal for Cummins House, Riley Farm, and Smith-Douglas House Gertz said he is having the reuse plan rewritten. When this is done he will send a draft copy to the Commissioners to review prior to the next HPC meeting. If the Commissioners approve moving the date of the HPC meeting to July 10, it can be discussed prior to the Program Board meeting on July 11. Gertz said Mosman, as the Chairperson of the Commission, should be the one to make the presentation to the Program Board. As part of the reuse plan, Gertz suggested concepts and uses for each of the three historic properties. He asked for input on uses for the Smith House (original, historic name of Douglas-More House). Uses could include lease, sale or commercial use. Gertz estimated the cost to get each property up to a standard that doesn't include a particular use. The cost includes installation of fire sprinkler systems. He estimated $89,230 for the Riley Farm, $103,200 for the Cummins House, and $202,200 for the Smith House, with restoration of the Smith House up to a point that it could be used for a commercial purpose. Gertz asked Steve Sinell, the City's Appraiser, what the current market value of the Smith house would be. Sinell said the market value is $130,000 in its present condition. If all the necessary restoration work was done, the market value could range up to $200,000. That means that the cost to restore it is higher than the market value. Gertz said the HPC has to look at whether the City would fund restoration on all three sites. One possibility would be to sell the Smith house. If the City would sell it and put that money into Park Cash Fees, and if the HPC could get approval to have those funds to restore the Cummins and the Riley properties, then that would pay for the restoration of those two sites. The Smith house could be sold for either residential or commercial use and the City would still retain review capacity, as it does for any HERITAGE PRESERVATION MINUTES June 19, 2000 Page 4 historic site, so the architectural integrity would remain. The preservation goal would still be met but it may not become accessible to the public. Leasing it is another option where the City retains ownership. Renting it is a third option, but the City would have to bring it up to code before renting it, so that wouldn't save any money. If it were leased to a company that would run a business out of there, the house could be leased for a minimum amount, with the requirement that the company leasing it would bring it up to code. Gertz asked the Commissioners to decide what is their recommendation for the best use of the Smith house, and their second and third options. After much discussion, the Commissioners decided that their much-preferred option would be to lease the house, and the second option would be to sell it, with the proceeds going back to Park Cash Fees that could be used for restoration of other historic properties. MOTION: Peterson-Benike moved, seconded by Barkley, to accept the Adaptive Reuse Proposal for the following properties: Cummins House Concept: Community Heritage Park. Use: Recreation, Education, Cultural (exhibit) Rile Concept: Community Heritage Park Use: Recreation, Education Smith House Concept: Community Heritage Park Use: (Option 1) Commercial Lease (Option 2) Sell Motion carried 5-0. VII. NEW BUSINESS Approve Change for July Meeting Date Gertz requested changing the date of the next meeting from July 17 to July 10. The reason for this request is because the Program Board canceled its June meeting, when it would have reviewed the HPC Adaptive Reuse Plan. Their next meeting is July 11, and if the HPC agrees to meet on July 10, the Commissioners would have one last chance to review the plan. MOTION: Brown moved, seconded by Peterson-Benike, to change the date of the next meeting from July 17 to July 10. Motion carried 5-0. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Chair Mosman adjourned the meeting at 9:15 p.m.