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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 02/11/2013 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Prairie Rooms A & B COMMISSION MEMBERS: Ed Muehlberg (Chair), Cindy Cofer Evert (Vice Chair), Jeffrey Lawler, Mark McPherson, Steve Olson, JoAnn McGuire STAFF: John Gertz, Pathfinder CRM, LLC Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Adam Feidt, GIS Coordinator Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Melissa Berman, Leanne Zhang I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Muehlberg called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Student Representatives Berman and Zhang were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by McPherson, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Cofer Evert questioned the appropriateness of the placement of the second and third paragraphs under Item V.C. Old Business Update on Interpretive Signage noting they were unrelated to the heading. McPherson and Creamer agreed but said it was ok and should stay as is to keep the minutes in order. MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by Lawler, to approve the January 14, 2013 minutes. Motion carried 6-0. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. 2013 WORK PLAN— CITY COUNCIL PRESENTATION—Cofer Evert Muehlberg and Creamer did a good job of presenting on behalf of HPC at the recent City Council workshop. Cofer Evert served as scribe documenting Council opinion. Feedback was positive. The history-friendly Council was pleased to have a section on historic properties added to the City website but requested more in-depth information be included such as stories told about each property, video clips of elderly residents HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2013 Page 2 talking about Eden Prairie history and their memories, lots of photos, and references to books written about Eden Prairie history. They echoed the Commission's desire for easy access to webpages indicating a visitor to the website or student doing research should be able to easily find everything they need. It was suggested Quick Response (QR) Codes be added to any new interpretive panels so it is easy for people to get additional information on the property they are visiting. In terms of funding, a reference was made to possibly securing a Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) grant to cover the cost of the project interviewing residents. When another commission expressed at the workshop they had limited funds for a particular initiative, Council indicated funding in the $1,000-2,000 range may be available for events and activities supporting things the City values. Council would like HPC to create broader awareness by looking for opportunities to share city history in other venues. One example is the historical photos at Eden Prairie Mall and another is the historical display at Star Bank. City Hall was mentioned as a possible venue for a historical photo display. Creamer said as far as the website is concerned, Joyce Lorenz in Communications recommended a separate page for each historic site. The map can be done initially and sites can be added one-by-one as time allows so it will be a work in progress. Cofer Evert said she would rather see them do a good job in phases and expand as they are able than to get caught up in developing something unwieldy in the beginning. Feidt said a separate-page model would be a better template for what Council is asking. Once pages are built, links can be added gradually and they can also link back to the map. McPherson suggested determining what information is appropriate for HPC to post versus what Eden Prairie Historical Society's (EPHS) role is in providing content. HPC pages should stay within the model of other pages on the City website. Muehlberg agreed with Cofer Evert and McPherson. Creamer suggested this would be a good topic for the joint meeting with EPHS. Olson asked Feidt if QR codes will mean anything ten years from now. Feidt said it was difficult to answer given changes in technology, but he doesn't see it going away too quickly. The mapping portion of the website will change frequently, but the webpages on the sites can be out there indefinitely. Cofer Evert said information could be updated by placing stickers over the QR codes on the interpretive panels. McPherson said stickers could be added to existing interpretive panels, too. Creamer commented progress can be shown next time HPC meets with Council. McPherson suggested HPC be proactive by emailing Council as progress occurs rather than waiting. V. OLD BUSINESS A. WEBSITE UPDATE - Feidt The new banner designed by Communications was incorporated and a few things from last month's checklist have been added such as the aerial photo toggle button and multiple tabs. Feidt has not had a chance to test it. The rest of the page was HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2013 Page 3 redesigned to match color-wise. The upper right-hand corner was changed to link to HPC's webpage rather than directly to the City's main page. Creamer reported Lorenz said the bird and grass images will need to change slightly so they are uniform in size with those on other pages. She also said the antique wallpaper Creamer provided made the words difficult to read, and the main page shouldn't be cluttered with too many photos. The banner should be a solid color with no tagline and the properties shown underneath. Clicking on a property will link to a different page which can have an antique pattern or solid background with additional photos. Cofer Evert said she would like to see more photos added to HPC's webpage, as well. Lawler commented he found the color scheme too bland. Feidt explained everything is standardized to match within the City website,but Creamer said she was told changing colors may be an option. Gertz said the banner should say "heritage" instead of"historical" as it has a broader context and can include archaeology. Olson said that ties in better with the Commission, as well. Feidt said there is room for four tabs for different site categories and he has four colors to work with for the icon sets. Gertz suggested National Registered Properties, Local Heritage Preservation Sites, Archaeology, and Natural Landscapes as the categories. Creamer said those that are city-owned could be designated as such on individual pages. Gertz said historical photos such as those of mound surveys could be posted, but he recommends avoiding identification of landscapes by location. This is an even greater concern for archaeological sites. McGuire said the website should state it is illegal to dig. Gertz confirmed it is a felony and they could link to the law(s) concerning this. Feidt said the current tiles are feeding off of location. To remedy this,he could insert a blank tab and add text. Gertz replied most of these sites are small and on private property. The location indicator could be put in the middle of the property on the map without showing the exact location, or it could be excluded altogether. Cofer Evert expressed she saw no need to divulge this information. McPherson recommended there be a tab for Other or Miscellaneous which includes Archaeology. Gertz said each site should list ownership and whether or not sites are accessible to the public. McPherson added wheelchair accessibility should be included as well. Gertz agreed saying by law,heritage sites need to be ADA accessible. If not, the City needs to provide information on them. The website may suffice as that source of information. Feidt will look for the international symbol denoting this to place on the individual tiles. Other suggestions for what to include on the tiles were hours of operation, rental information, and the lady's slipper logo. Creamer said further advice from Communications consisted of incorporating something in the upper right hand corner along the lines of"Learn more about Eden Prairie's historical sites" and changing"History" to "Eden Prairie Historical Society" to differentiate it from the City website. Cofer Evert requested a pop-up to let the user know they're leaving the site. Feidt will check on this. Gertz agreed with McPherson's earlier comment stating much of the information to be included would be more suitable coming from EPHS. To avoid overwhelming the user with HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2013 Page 4 information on the HPC site,he suggested removing the "History" link altogether and instead providing a link to the EPHS website on each of the individual tiles. It could be prefaced with language to lead the user there such as "Visit the Eden Prairie Historical Society for more information." For HPC purposes, it is important to indicate the properties are locally-designated and protected and fall under City code. A link to the code should be on the HPC webpage. It would also be nice to add information about current projects underway at the sites. Lawler said that is where the QR codes will come in handy. Olson inquired what happens if someone clicks on the icons next to "History". Feidt explained those are social media icons to help spread the word. McPherson said it is important to keep the HPC link. Cofer Evert agreed and asked about keeping the banner on each page. Feidt said the banner will not show once a user clicks on a property. It was determined the four tabs should be labeled Local, National, Landscape, and Other(in that order). Creamer said she could forward that information to Feidt as well as which properties fall within each category. Feidt recommended it be provided in a spreadsheet format with the name and address of each site. All tiles will have red Xs until pictures are available. Cofer Evert asked which properties with signs should be included. Gertz said properties with signs fall into three categories: designated, designation-eligible, and old (75-100 years), and he explained the difference. For the website, they should stick to the best and include only ones that really meet the criteria—those that are designated and the cream of the crop from those that aren't. Gertz will determine which properties to include and provide brief descriptions for each. He will generate a list and send it to Creamer who will forward it to Feidt. Olson said it would be helpful for Cofer Evert to know which categories those with signs fall under for her spreadsheet, as well. Feidt addressed the pros and cons of adding tabs and resizing the tabs and map. It was decided four tabs would be sufficient and the map size won't need to be changed. Feidt explained he maintains three basemaps: a detailed one showing trails and other small features, one that is more faded, and an aerial view. Although older photos are available, commissioners decided to wait for the 2012 aerial image. Cofer Evert mentioned they had previously discussed the possibility of including historic maps (plat maps, aerial photos, etc.). Feidt replied those are time intensive and he has limited resources so they would not be a priority. Feidt has notes on the aesthetic changes and will wait for content information from Creamer, but the site is close to being launch-ready. Other changes can be made once it has gone live. Creamer noted it will have to go on the Communications Department's work plan for final approval. Cofer Evert said it was important to get local and national sites done first. Those that are works in progress can be listed as "under construction," and she would like to see an old and new photo posted for each property. A photo slider would be nice or HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2013 Page 5 something with arrows on the outer margins to click through pictures. Feidt said it would work best if he got all the basic information up front, and then he could do it all in one day rather than piecemeal. He could set it up so a slideshow is launched once a photo is clicked on. He can add an unlimited number of images,but it takes time. The commissioners thanked Feidt for his work. Gertz asked about updating the HPC website since it contains outdated information. Feidt said that needs to go through Creamer and Communications. B. UPDATE ON HISTORIC SITES - Creamer The floor tile in the Smith-Douglas-More House has been repaired, and house numbers have been installed as requested by the Fire Marshal. C. GRANT APPLICATION UPDATE - Gertz Gertz reported he prepared the pre-application for a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant and was told by Mandy Skypala at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) she didn't think the landscape grant request would fit well enough with their funding priorities to proceed. She viewed it as more of a large-scale interpretive project. Gertz found this surprising because it was built around the idea of making the site more accessible and no landscape survey was needed. He thought it might qualify under an educational component. A CLG grant could be used to fund the planning and text-writing of the interpretive panels but not the fabrication. We are not at that point yet as the landscape project needs to happen first. Legacy funding is coming up, but appropriations are unknown at this time. Gertz plans to check back in March and resubmit it as a Legacy-funded grant for$10,000 or a little less. Creamer pointed out CLG grants need matching funds or in-kind service. She talked to Finance and was assured money has been set aside for cash matches. Gertz said SHPO has more money to give than what is being requested, so he is trying to think of other grant ideas. National register designations are popular, but there aren't any properties right now that fit the bill. The Overlook is national eligible, but SHPO wouldn't agree to it due to its condition. The Cummins-Grill House and Glen Lake Children's Camp are on the national register, The Smith-Douglas-More House is eligible. The Riley Farmstead is probably not eligible as it has been too impacted. Green Acres (the Goodrich Ramus Barn) is questionable. If the Legacy grant isn't funded, they could then approach the City and perhaps get the Parks Department involved. Other ideas worthy of consideration are a big archaeology project in the river valley, a Native American village site, and the Overlook. The Overlook falls in a runway protection zone and would require airport cooperation as well as restoration. The airport owns the property and can restrict access. Olson said the timeline for the current funding cycle is tight,but it would be good to identify something to put on the roster of projects for future CLG grants. Gertz suggested archaeology of the river valley, the Dakota village, and interpretive signage for Riley Jacques, Jeff Miller, and Dorenkemper. The Legacy grant is another possibility for interpretive signage. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2013 Page 6 Creamer asked if meeting with the Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission would be a good in-road to making progress with the Overlook. Gertz said support from City staff would be needed first. The proposed trail system skirting the Overlook might be a good segue for the City to approach walk-in trail access to the site. Creamer suggested meeting with the Park and Rec Commission to discuss this further. Cofer Evert inquired about CLG funding. Gertz said CLG doesn't cover brick and mortar projects,but SHPO had indicated before they would build and install the interpretive sign that goes into the monument. If restoration is carried out in a way that meets the standards, then it could become national register eligible again. D. WORK PLAN REVIEW Muehlberg stated it is important to stay on task with this and review it regularly. Creamer will add it to the agenda each month. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. AGENDA ITEMS FOR UPCOMING JOINT HPC/EPHS MEETING Muehlberg reiterated Creamer's earlier suggestion of having the website be a topic of discussion at the joint meeting. McPherson suggested EPHS be sent an email with Council feedback so they can be prepared. Cofer Evert will email the workshop comments to Creamer who will forward them to EPHS. Cofer Evert recommended asking EPHS to discuss property updates on their end. Creamer will send out a draft agenda for HPC's part of the meeting, and the Commission can meet briefly on its own if needed. VII. FYI ITEMS A. SOUTHWEST LRT—PHASE I ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY Creamer stated Regina Rojas received a letter from Dennis Gimmestad of MnDOT, and it was he who suggested it be forwarded to HPC as an FYI. She circulated a map of the referenced area. Cofer Evert said she got the impression the area in question will be unaffected. Gertz confirmed no archaeological sites will be impacted,but it should be noted in the Planning Department in such a way that any future development is flagged. Any proposal involving impact will need to be followed up with a Phase II archaeological survey. He referenced a large map which identified designated heritage sites. The same system should be used to identify archaeology sites. Creamer will follow up on this. B. OTHER Commissioner recruitment has been extended to February 13. There are three openings. No submissions have been received to date. Creamer received an email stating Lawler had decided to reapply. Lawler said there must have been an error as this was not the case. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2013 Page 7 Creamer announced there will be a public hearing at next month's meeting for two local designation sites before going to the Planning Commission. They are Staring Lake Outdoor Center and Glen Lake Children's Camp. This information will be published. Gertz said tenants need to be notified as well. VIII. STUDENT UPDATES None IX. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, March 18, 2013, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. Cofer Evert and McGuire indicated they would not be able to attend. The joint meeting with EPHS will be Monday, April 15, 2013, 6:30 p.m. at the Cummins- Grill House. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by McGuire, to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. Muehlberg adjourned the meeting at 9:42 p.m.