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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 03/18/2013 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, MARCH 18, 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 Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Melissa Berman, Leanne Zhang I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Muehlberg called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Commissioners Cofer Evert and McGuire and Student Representative Zhang were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Creamer said the Eden Prairie Community Foundation grant process would be discussed immediately following Item VA. 2013 CLG GRANT UPDATE and noted she had new information to report under Item VIII. FYI ITEMS. MOTION: McPherson moved, seconded by Olson, to approve the agenda as noted. Motion carried 4-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Lawler moved, seconded by Olson, to approve the February 11, 2013 minutes. Motion carried 4-0. McPherson expressed concern that items from the minutes might be forgotten if not added to the Work Plan. Work Plan Review should remain a regular agenda item. Creamer said it serves as a guide. Items are added and checked off on a monthly basis. Gertz said each person has an electronic version they can keep and bring to each meeting. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 2013 Page 2 IV. PUBLIC HEARING A. LOCAL DESIGNATION OF HERITAGE SITE— STARING LAKE OUTDOOR CENTER Recommendation to designate Staring Lake Outdoor Center as a Heritage Preservation Site. A memo from City Planner, Mike Franzen, indicated official notice of this public hearing was published March 7, 2013 in the Eden Prairie News and sent to property owners within 500 feet on March 8, 2013. Muehlberg asked if anyone wished to address the Commission on this matter. No one did. MOTION: Lawler moved, seconded by Olson, to close the public hearing. Motion carried 4-0. MOTION: McPherson moved, seconded by Lawler, to approve the Finding of Significance for Staring Lake Outdoor Center. Motion carried 4-0. MOTION: Lawler moved, seconded by McPherson, to recommend to the City Council that the Staring Lake Outdoor Center property be designated as a Heritage Preservation Site. Motion carried 4-0. Olson asked if management or maintenance plans are coordinated with significance statements. Gertz confirmed they are. B. LOCAL DESIGNATION OF HERITAGE SITE— GLEN LAKE CHILDREN's CAMP Recommendation to designate Glen Lake Children's Camp as a Heritage Preservation Site. A memo from City Planner, Mike Franzen, indicated official notice of this public hearing was published March 7, 2013 in the Eden Prairie News and sent to property owners within 500 feet on March 8, 2013. Muehlberg asked if anyone wished to address the Commission on this matter. Travis Dahlke of 6527 Kurtz Lane said his backyard buts up against what used to be lakeshore. He attended to find out more about what is meant by a heritage site. Gertz said the primary purpose is to preserve the historical integrity of the property. The camp is on the National Register of Historic Places and review criteria are the same for the Local Register. Gertz showed Dahlke a document of the process the owner goes through once the property has been designated. He noted the standards are more like guidelines. The camp has an agreement with the State Historic Preservation office (SHPO) to maintain the property according to these standards. Property within that boundary comes under the review of HPC for any major building or site alterations, primarily those that are non-reversible. HPC would use the standards to assess proposals. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 2013 Page 3 Dahlke said the background information was helpful but he was more curious about the lake. He asked if work were to be done on the lake itself, would it be under City control because it is park land or would it fall under HPC scrutiny. Gertz said raising the lake level is not an issue. HPC would be involved if the character of the lake were to be impacted, such as dredging or modifications to the beach. If this were the case, there would be other components involved including the watershed district and City engineering department. The reason Friendship Ventures has a letter of agreement with the State is because they received state funds. This means they agree to the review process for a set period of time. They are federal guidelines, but the monitoring is done by SHPO because it is the office that provided the camp with money. Creamer noted the camp's lease is up December 31, 2014 and they have the option to renew for another ten years. Dahlke inquired about the lack of success with the lake restoration. McPherson said it was damaged several years ago when Highway 62 was expanded. The problem was supposedly corrected. Dahlke said the lake level has not gone up. Gertz said development and pumping out of wells has created a statewide problem for lakes. He suggested Dahlke talk to Leslie Stovring in Engineering for additional information. MOTION: Lawler moved, seconded by Olson, to close the public hearing. Motion carried 4-0. MOTION: McPherson moved, seconded by Lawler, to approve the Finding of Significance for Glen Lake Children's Camp. Motion carried 4-0. MOTION: McPherson moved, seconded by Lawler, to recommend to the City Council that the Glen Lake Children's Camp property be designated as a Heritage Preservation Site. Motion carried 4-0. V. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF - Creamer A. 2013 CLG GRANT UPDATE Despite Gertz's report last month about the landscape grant request not fitting with SHPO's funding priorities, staff and Council persisted in seeking funds. Leanne Brown worked with Jay Lotthammer and Creamer to complete and submit the grant by the March 1st deadline. They expect to hear by end of April or early May if the grant is funded. Gertz will continue to work on the legacy grant which would include the landscape plan for the Dorenkemper house. Gertz clarified the grant Brown worked on is for interpretive signage for Riley Jacques farm. Gertz asked what the grant covered. Creamer replied it was for panels, graphics, and historical research but not stands. Gertz asked who would administer the grant. Creamer said it would be the planning department. B. ADDITIONAL GRANT OPPORTUNITY Cofer Evert recently attended the Eden Prairie Community Foundation (EPCF) Town Hall Gathering. Muehlberg said she took notes about their grant process which is a possible source of funding for HPC. The deadline is approaching quickly. Creamer HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 2013 Page 4 relayed the key points of emphasis are on community impact, education,recreation, and environmental. Cofer Evert has suggested submitting a grant request of$5,000 for interpretive panels. Olson said if there two funding cycles per year, it might be best to wait for the next cycle. Muehlberg agreed the timing would be better than trying to meet the March 25 deadline. Olson accessed the EPCF website and said it appears there is just one grant cycle annually. McPherson proposed they try for the grant with the City's help. Creamer said it could be for replacement or repair of signage separate from the CLG grant. McPherson said installing panels for properties with no signage was a higher priority. Muehlberg volunteered to look into it. Olson confirmed the grant cannot be used for general operations. Lawler said he thought the entire grant should be used for just one property. Gertz agreed saying interpretive and landscape plans need to be coordinated because they work together. Signage needs to tie in with its respective site. Gertz said assuming the landscape plan for the CLG grant is funded, it can be done this year. He investigated costs for metal and timber kiosks which are an option for housing signs, but$5,000 won't pay for more than a basic structure. The roof helps protect them from weather and sun, and they are more accessible since they are free- standing structures. Olson said the EPCF grant refers to programs. Bricks and mortar are not mentioned. It seems we are scrambling and need to be more intentional. The decision was made to hold off on applying this year. Creamer said it should go on the work plan for next year. Gertz said simple curriculum for the Dorenkemper house, such as a question/answer booklet for social studies students would probably fit well into the foundation's grant. C. COMMISSION RECRUITMENT UPDATE Creamer thanked McPherson and Lawler for their service on the Commission. Unfortunately there were no applications to fill their spots. Candidates who applied for other commissions,however, were asked if they'd be interested in serving on the HPC. As a result, three new commissioners will join HPC next month. They are Pamela Spera and Mark Frieberg for three-year terms and Deb Paulson for a one-year term. Orientation takes place on Thursday. Creamer asked for feedback on new commissioner packets. Olson said the only thing he thought should be added is a spreadsheet of work plan items. He volunteered to be the keeper of the spreadsheet and will update as needed. D. HRDC PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY The Human Rights and Diversity Commission (HRDC)has asked to partner with HPC on a project. HRDC has the opportunity to write a $5,000 story circles grant for preserving people's stories. Commissioners would talk with residents and record their historical stories in either small groups over multiple nights or one larger event. The HPC would focus on the historical aspect, while HRDC would be looking at the new face of Eden Prairie. HRDC would work with Community Ed and the library and would administer the grant. The grant deadline is June and requires reporting at the HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 2013 Page 5 end of November. Stories may be published in the newspaper, website, and/or in a booklet. Gertz said it is a great idea and Eden Prairie Historical Society (EPHS) should be involved. Creamer said she told HRDC about EPHS and it seemed one night meeting would be easiest as they have their hands full with the website project right now. Gertz said when he was involved with the commission years ago, they did community programs where stories of early settlers were featured. There are two stories, in particular, worth sharing. Creamer said Karla Wennerstrom approached Molly Koivumaki at the Council workshop and told her it would be a great idea to post stories in the newspaper. Berman inquired if people could submit their own stories. Creamer asked if she thought students at the high school would help. She said there is a diversity club at the high school, as well as other clubs, that could be approached to conduct interviews. It could be advertised in the school paper, as well. Commissioners expressed these were good ideas and students would be a great resource. While in agreement this is a worthy project heading in the direction Council would like to see them go, the item was tabled until the new commissioners come on board. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. WEBSITE UPDATE Creamer said Gertz provided Adam Feidt with photos and blurbs, but Feidt has not had time to do much with the website due to being short-staffed. He did change the banner a bit placing it over Creamer's faded antique wallpaper. He also had some questions for HPC which commissioners felt they had already addressed last month. To recap, there will be four categories of heritage sites on separate tabs. One photo of each site will be displayed on the map page with a short blurb. From there, users can link to another page with multiple photos in possibly a slideshow format. Gertz said the sites will not be final until seen by everyone. Changes can be made after the information has been added to the website. Some updated photos are needed, as well. Creamer said Feidt will continue to work on the site time permitting. Gertz requested Feidt give him feedback so he can make adjustments as needed. McPherson suggested once the site is launched, it be announced in the newspaper's historical column for several issues. Berman said QR codes could be implemented. Creamer stated there should be some publicity on the City website, too. Communications may need about a month to look over and approve the site before it goes live. Creamer will ask Feidt to give updates on a monthly basis. B. UPDATE ON HISTORIC SITES Creamer reported Jan Mosman sent an email inquiry about adding a"for lease" sign to the existing sign at Cummins Grill House. Steve Durham of the Planning Department responded to her stating,per code, signs must be six square feet or less. He also advised her to review the lease agreement and run it by HPC prior to HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 2013 Page 6 placement. Gertz said there are specific sign criteria for heritage sites. Sites are limited to one sign. It does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness;but renting is not the same as leasing, and they want to avoid hanging a sign out there indefinitely. This should be talked about more in the Planning Department. McPherson and Creamer agreed there is a differentiation between renting space for events versus leasing space long-term. Gertz suggested a sign with a contact phone number be posted for only the leasable space upstairs. Once it has been leased, the sign should be removed. Even though EPHS is responsible for rentals, it is a city building so rentals could be managed through the Parks Department website similar to the process for park facilities. Creamer reported the city manager said building inspections issued a temporary certificate of occupancy for Green Acres. It now has a fully functional sprinkler system. C. JOINT MEETING WITH EDEN PRAIRIE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (EPHS) Muehlberg said it might not be best to introduce new commission members on a night when then have a joint meeting with EPHS and an abbreviated HPC meeting. Creamer said she contacted Betsy Adams about this and found out May 20 does not work for EPHS, but the third Monday in June or July would be good. Jumping ahead to New Business, Creamer said possible dates for a joint meeting with Parks & Rec would be June 3 or a bus tour on July 1 during which they would go to a couple sites and talk about them. This should be considered when selecting a date to meet with EPHS. Muehlberg said the EPHS meeting should be placed on hold until next month when a decision can be made with the new commissioners. Creamer said the situation was the same for the Parks meeting. A decision was made to postpone scheduling either meeting until next month. Gertz asked what the purpose of the Parks meeting is. Creamer said it has to do with The Lookout site and trail enhancements in the area. HPC has expressed great interest in this site. Muehlberg said the trail is the first step in allowing future access. Lawler said there is city-owned land that is not accessible below the fish and wildlife land in The Lookout area. There is a road,but it is gated with "no trespassing" signs. He asked if that is where the proposed trail would go. Gertz said the trail will parallel the highway. The area Lawler referred to is Old Riverview Road and has been gated for safety reasons. D. WORK PLAN REVIEW Creamer said two things can be checked off the work plan: Preservation Agreement Monitoring Report for Glen Lake Children's Camp and local designation for Glen Lake and Staring Lake. Other items are in progress. A Best Management Practice Plan for Cummins Grill House and Goodrich Ramus Barn is on Gertz's to-do list for second quarter. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 2013 Page 7 VII. NEW BUSINESS A. JOINT MEETING WITH PARKS & RECREATION This item was discussed out of order under Item VI.C. Joint Meeting with Eden Prairie Historical Society (EPHS). Creamer said she would find out if meeting at The Lookout site is a possibility for the joint meeting with Parks & Rec. VIII. FYI ITEMS Creamer said she received a letter from Michael Koop about training for heritage preservation commissions offered by SHPO. SHPO staff is available to attend meetings and offer presentations on Local Designations: Best Practices, How to Run an Effective Meeting, and Design Review: Preserving Heritage and Improving Physical Environment. Beginning in April, presentations are provided on a first-come, first-served basis with six appointments available in 2013. A decision was made to wait for the new commissioners to start before pursuing this. Gertz said copies of the local designation forms on Eden Prairie letterhead should be sent to Michael Koop asking him to review and comment on the proposed local designations. His response should be included in the file. IX. STUDENT UPDATES Berman said a story on the Goodrich Ramus Barn ran in the school paper. She will bring a copy to the next meeting. X. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, April 15, 2013, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. Muehlberg and Gertz thanked McPherson and Lawler for serving on HPC. Gertz said the City website should include Commission updates. Creamer asked him to forward information to her about outdated information on the HPC webpage. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Lawler moved, seconded by Olson, to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. Chair Muehlberg adjourned the meeting at 8:54 p.m.