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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 04/15/2013 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY,APRIL 15, 2013 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Prairie Rooms A & B COMMISSION MEMBERS: Ed Muehlberg (Chair), Cindy Cofer Evert (Vice Chair), Steve Olson, JoAnn McGuire, Pamela Spera, Mark Frieberg, Deb Paulson 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 7:04 p.m. Commissioner Frieberg and Student Representatives Berman and Zhang were absent. Introductions took place. II. SWEARING IN OF NEW MEMBERS The new commissioners took an oath of office with Creamer administering. They were also asked to complete additional paperwork. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Cofer Evert added Item VIII.C. HISTORICAL ITEM OF INTEREST under FYI ITEMS. MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Cofer Evert, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 6-0. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Muehlberg, to approve the March 18, 2013 minutes. Motion carried 2-0-4 with Cofer Evert, McGuire, Spera, and Paulson abstaining. V. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION—NEW MEMBERS Gertz gave a brief overview of the background of historic preservation. A national, state, and local preservation partnership has been in existence since 1966. Historic HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES April 15, 2013 Page 2 preservation laws were previously inadequate. The Antiquities Act of 1906 applied only to federal land, and penalties were few. The Urban Renewal Act of 1964 created incentive for economic development which resulted in the decimation of urban areas. As a result, many irreplaceable properties were either lost or substantially altered. In 1966, the federal government passed the National Historic Preservation Act(NHPA) from which the National Register of Historic Places was born as well as the means to create historic preservation offices in each state. Along with NHPA came the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Preservation. These standards serve as guide for historic preservation commissions (HPCs), the federal government, and state historic preservation offices. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is the local administrator for the historic preservation program. SHPO works with the federal program and local governments. Similar to SHPO, there are additional preservation offices to help indigenous peoples. Grants (administered through SHPO) eventually became available to assist in historic preservation projects. Training programs became a necessity, mostly for federal agencies. Federal laws established the means to allow states to create in their statutes a municipal heritage preservation law so local governments could participate in the program. Certain criteria must be met in order to be eligible. Certified HPCs qualify for grants and can participate more fully in historic preservation projects along with SHPO and the federal program. About 2/3 of Minnesota's 43 Certified Local Government(CLG) HPCs are certified. Eden Prairie's UPC was certified in 1991 and has received various preservation awards. Gertz explained the grants and designation process and the HPC's mission and responsibilities. The HPC recommends designation of sites,participates with SHPO, reviews historic site alteration permits, and provides educational outreach for citizens. Past Eden Prairie HPC projects have included developing historic site identification and outdoor interpretive panel programs. Another project, funded by a CLG grant, involved creating the booklet"Heritage: Preserving Eden Prairie's Past" which was disseminated throughout the city. HPCs are not just about old homes and buildings. Eden Prairie preservation consists of burial mounds, artifacts, settlement habitation sites, waysides, bridges, schools, cemeteries, roads/trails, battle markers, camps, and barns. Gertz stressed the importance of local ordinances for protection. Historical societies have an important role in collecting old artifacts, but HPCs are more about city ordinance, code compliancy, designation,protection, and education/outreach. While the roles are different, there is some overlap. Spera asked how projects are funded. Gertz said while there are not any specific funding sources, the City has paid for much of the restoration work. The developer fully funded the Dorenkemper House, a generous and rare exception. Other funds come from rentals and grants. For privately-owned properties, it is up to the owner to invest. They cannot be forced to do so however if they do, the HPC oversees improvements. Creamer said if new commissioners want more information, they should contact her and she can arrange for them to meet with Gertz. Cofer Evert said when she was new HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES April 15, 2013 Page 3 to the HPC, she was eager to visit the various sites. Paulson said a tour would be helpful. Creamer said the HPC may be meeting at a couple different properties this summer. B. HRDC PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY— CONTINUED - Creamer The Human Rights and Diversity Commission (HRDC) has approached the HPC about partnering on a $5000 story circles grant. HRDC would write the grant which has a June deadline and reporting required at the end of November. Help is needed to gather and preserve people's stories, both old and new, possibly during one large session or in smaller groups over multiple nights. The stories would be published in the paper or in a booklet as a final product. Last month, Berman had suggested students from the high school's diversity club might be willing to help. Previous discussion made mention of involving EPHS and Community Ed since Community Ed sponsors the Know Your Neighbors series. Karla Wennerstrom has also approached Molly Koivumaki with the idea of posting stories in the newspaper. Creamer asked what the preferred forum would be. McGuire said one night would be most convenient. Spera asked if it would be similar to "The Gathering" events the City used to have where the public was invited. Cofer Evert said she was interested,but it seemed most relevant for the HPC to focus on the historical aspect. Established Eden Prairie families could be interviewed on site at their homes or farms rather than at City Center. McGuire agreed and also expressed interest in helping. She suggested interviewing residents and capturing their stories and then following up with a public event to showcase the best stories. Cofer Evert and Paulson concurred a public viewing of the finished product would be the best way to go and would yield better attendance. Spera said she would also like to be part of the project. Creamer said Wennerstrom could do her story about the final event. Gertz asked if guidelines would be provided. Creamer said she thought they would be. They are looking to gather many different stories from new immigrants and older residents and how Eden Prairie has changed over the years. Cofer Evert reiterated EPHS should work with the HPC on the historical pieces. Gertz said EPHS has a file full of recordings already. Creamer stressed this is something Council asked for and it is a good opportunity to compile stories. She will let HRDC know the HPC is interested. C. GRANT UPDATE 1. CLG Grant - Creamer The City submitted a CLG grant for interpretive signs at Riley Jacques barn. The grants review committee met on April 11 and will be forwarding information to the Minnesota Historical Society's executive committee for action at its next meeting. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES April 15, 2013 Page 4 2. Les!acy Grant - Gertz Gertz talked with John Fulton from SHPO. The total funding amount is being considered by the State Legislature. There is no word on the amount yet,but he felt it would be approved. The small grants ($7000 or less) deadline is June 21. No pre-application is required. Medium and large grants require pre-applications which are due August 2. The final deadline and amounts of medium and large grants is unknown. CLG grants are federal funds funneled to SHPOs for which certified HPCs can apply. They require matching funds. Legacy grants are state funds for which no match is required. The process for medium and large legacy grants is more rigorous (similar to the CLG grant process) than for small grants. Small grants are offered multiple times. It was originally thought$10,000 would be the expected cost for the Dorenkemper landscaping plan, but plantings can probably be covered for less. He will prepare a$7,000 small grant request for June. Cofer Evert expressed interest in seeing the grant request. Gertz said it is done electronically via a password-protected grants portal,but he can print copies of what is submitted. Spera asked what the prerequisite is for applying. Gertz said having a certified commission allows the City to apply for CLG grants annually. There are no particular criteria for Legacy funds. There just needs to be a project in mind and an organization to apply. Gertz said the booklet he mentioned in his earlier presentation should be reprinted. It has information about grants and local codes in addition to what he covered in his PowerPoint. It also contains the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. Creamer said some of this information was included in the new commissioner packets. Gertz asked if they had been revised with the new city code. Creamer said they had. Gertz said the National Park Service website is a good source for more information. McGuire said it would be nice for the HPC to have a couple copies of the booklet. A local printer might be willing to donate services. Olson asked if the City owns the rights to the document completely. If so, it could be posted on the website. Gertz said it is not copyrighted. He has a copy that can be scanned. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. WEBSITE UPDATE - Creamer Rental information for the Cummins Grill House cannot be put on the City website because EPHS is the entity leasing it. It is possible to link to the EPHS website from the City website, however. In general, website progress is on the back burner because of a staff shortage in the IT department. Creamer presented two banner background options, one with wallpaper and one with a photo. Olson, Muehlberg, and Cofer Evert said they preferred a photo background but did not care for the photo shown in the demo. Olson said it should be something linear. Paulson suggested the river bluff. Creamer said the goal is to launch the HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES April 15, 2013 Page 5 website as soon as possible and update it as they are able. Paulson said given the situation,perhaps it would be best to leave it a solid color so it flows with other pages on the website. Cofer Evert explained other pages are individualized with representative photos. There are black and white or sepia pictures in the Eden Prairie Mall featuring people in period clothing with barns and farm equipment which would be suitable. Gertz said he had already sent a file of similar photos to Feidt. Creamer said she likes the river bluff idea and wants to avoid a cluttered look. Paulson said it should be something recognizable such as the Cummins Grill house on the right with the property elongated on the left. Creamer suggested the Cummins peony garden. Gertz liked the idea of using a Cummins photo and said the garden could be photoshopped in. Creamer said she would forward the ideas. Communications needs to grant approval before anything can be added to the website. B. UPDATE ON HISTORIC SITES - Creamer Creamer distributed copies of an inventory spreadsheet noting it is a collaborative effort between Park and Rec, Facilities, and the HPC. They recently met to review updates on property conditions, what has been done, and what is budgeted for the future. Creamer said the shed at the Cummins Grill House was wrapped with tarp in 2010. Staff is recommending it be documented and demolished. It needs immediate attention. The bottom is rotting as a result of moisture retention from the wrap. It is something the HPC could look at when it meets with EPHS or Park and Rec. Gertz asked if a field trip to the properties had already occurred, as he is to be included when annual spring evaluations are done. Creamer said this was unclear. Cofer Evert inquired if restoring the shed would be a grant-applicable project. Gertz said this was unlikely. Before it can be demolished, it has to come to the HPC because it requires a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). He would like to go out and take pictures, evaluate the entire structure, and determine if it has gone downhill. Tarping should not have caused deterioration. The floor was rotted before because it had not been wrapped. EPHS will need to decide what they want to do. Muehlberg said it sounded like waiting for the joint meeting with EPHS would be too late. The urgency should be verified. Gertz said he would take a look at it before next month's meeting and compare photos from before tarping to now. It should be on the agenda for next meeting. The HPC will want to make a recommendation to City staff. Cofer Evert said she would like to join Gertz when he visits the site if possible. Creamer said the roof on the Smith Douglas More House is budgeted for 2014. Cofer Evert requested it be noted in the minutes the HPC would like Gertz included in a review of all properties this spring. Gertz asked Creamer to find out if the City has done its inventory yet. Gertz said he thought a section was going to be added to the inventory noting whether or not certain types of work require a COA. It would alert staff to talk to Planning to determine if HPC review is needed first. Creamer asked Gertz to identify which projects need a COA. Gertz explained all registered properties require them. A HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES April 15, 2013 Page 6 column should be added that says "HPC permit review, yes/no". "Yes" should be added to each box underneath. C. JOINT MEETING WITH EDEN PRAIRIE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (EPHS) Creamer said the choices for a joint meeting with EPHS are June 17 or July 15. After discussing schedules, it was determined June would work best. The HPC will meet at the Cummins Grill House at 6:30 pm. Creamer will send Betsy Adams an email. Topics for the meeting include the website and the stories grant partnership. The HPC can meet on its own following the joint meeting if needed. Cofer Evert encouraged the new commissioners to look into EPHS membership. Their volunteer-run museum is housed in the downstairs of City Hall. Creamer said it is open 11 am-1 pm on Mondays. D. JOINT MEETING WITH PARKS & RECREATION - Creamer Options for a joint meeting with the Parks and Recreation and Natural Resources Commission (PRNR) are carpooling to the Lookout on June 3 or August 5 or participating in a bus tour to some parks and historic sites on July 1. Park and Rec will be working on trail development near the Lookout. This is an opportunity to learn more about the plans and how this might fit into restoration of the Lookout or how the HPC and PRNR can help each other in this process. Muehlberg explained the issue is the Lookout is under airport jurisdiction and they don't want people in restricted flight areas. Gertz asked if this would take the place of a regular HPC meeting. Creamer said it could. June may not be the best choice given the joint meeting with EPHS. July is difficult because of vacation schedules. It was determined August would be good. Logistics of getting permission for access to the Lookout and the open meeting law were discussed. It was determined the meeting should be scheduled and details could be worked out later. E. WORK PLAN REVIEW Olson said he had not yet had a chance to put work plan items in a spreadsheet format. Creamer said the Communications Department reviewed the Heritage Sites Listing included in the meeting packets and added comments about completeness and consistency in terms of addresses and dates. Gertz provided the information for the website and Creamer forwarded it to Communications for editing. Once it is complete, she can put the information in a spreadsheet for Feidt so he can post it to website. Gertz explained all the address information available to him has been given; there are no addresses posted for the remaining sites. The dates can be noted as "founded", "constructed" or"established" as appropriate. VII. NEW BUSINESS None. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES April 15, 2013 Page 7 VIII. FYI ITEMS A. SHPO ON-SITE TRAINING SHPO is offering on-site training as a new initiative to train HPC members. There are three topics from which to choose: Local Designations: Best Practices, How to Run an Effective Meeting, and Design Review: Preserving Heritage and Improving Physical Environment. There are six trainings available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cofer Evert suggested either Local Designations or Design Review. Gertz said Design Review might be more appropriate for a city like Minneapolis; Eden Prairie doesn't do much in the way of design review. He asked who does the presenting. Muehlberg suggested finding out if there are any trainings still available and requesting a more detailed description of the topics. Creamer will email commissioners to let them know what she finds out. She said her contact is Michael Koop, but she doesn't know who does the presentations. Training can be part of a regular or special meeting of the HPC. B. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ANNUAL REPORT FOR CLGs - Creamer Creamer gave a document to Gertz to complete for the National Park Service Annual Report. It is based on the fiscal year of October 1, 2011-September 30, 2012. Muehlberg asked if this was a requirement to maintain CLG status. Gertz said it is a questionnaire the government collects from all HPCs and CLGs to track how well the partnership is working. Creamer said the due date is April 26. C. HISTORICAL ITEM OF INTEREST —Cofer Evert Cofer Evert reported on her recent trip to Marco Island in Florida. While there, she had the opportunity to participate in an archaeological dig over a period of two days. Hundreds of volunteers were recruited to sift earth at a designated site where water and sewer lines would be installed. Calusa Indians were the original settlers in the area and are now an extinct tribe. Many artifacts were discovered during the dig. Newspaper articles and pictures were shared with the other commissioners. IX. STUDENT UPDATES None. X. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, May 20, 2013, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by Paulson, to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Muehlberg adjourned the meeting at 9:39 p.m.