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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 11/18/2013 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 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 Freiberg, Deb Paulson STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Hannah Jeter, Greta Colford, Laura Lindberg STAFF: John Gertz, Pathfinder CRM, LLC Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Muehlberg called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Commissioner Paulson was absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by Freiberg, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Creamer requested the word "camp" be added to the second to the last sentence of the first paragraph on page 4 right before "workshop". MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by Olson, to approve the October 21, 2013 minutes as amended. Motion carried 6-0. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. UPDATE ON HISTORIC SITES Creamer reported she sent a message to Parks and Natural Resources Manager Stu Fox regarding the rotting ash tree at the Smith Douglas More House (SDM). His reply indicated he plans to have something prepared on the tree-removal scenario for the January HPC meeting. Tree removal when leafless is not a priority, so he would prefer to wait until after the holidays when the ground is frozen and snow-covered. A recommendation on tree replacement will be forthcoming. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES November 18, 2013 Page 2 Santa will be at the Cummins Grill House (CG) Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from November 22 to December 22. More information can be found on the Eden Prairie Historical Society's (EPHS)website. B. UPDATE ON EPCF GRANT —McGuire McGuire reported on the Eden Prairie Community Foundation (EPCF) grant process. Grants are generally in the amount of$2-5,000 with some as high as $7,000. She recommends we apply for the full amount. The application timeframe is January 1 through March 25, 2014 and we can use the common grant application. McGuire intends to follow up with Mark Weber, the new executive director, via email or phone to request a meeting. Creamer said this might tie in well with the interpretive panel project Cofer Evert is working on. Cofer Evert asked what the grant criteria are. McGuire explained the scope is broad but it would easily fit into one of the priority areas of education, recreation and environment, or arts and culture. Cofer Evert suggested McGuire explain to Weber we have a variety of initiatives in our 2014 work plan and are seeking general information about the grants process and categories. Olson suggested coordinating with City staff to ensure we do not overlap on grant requests. McGuire said Bremer Foundation is another place to seek funds. She can gather information from Gertz and write a prototype grant for submission to multiple funding sources. Discussion of possible grant projects ensued with a focus on education. McGuire will report back after speaking with Weber. C. UPDATE ON SIGNAGE PROJECT —Cofer Evert Cofer Evert gave an overview of the Heritage Site Signage Program. She showed two plaque options designed and purchased by the City, both bearing a lady slipper design. One is aluminum and originally was provided to property owners for an estimated $25; the other is bronze and was made available for$45. Some signs currently displayed are deteriorating or faded. She is proposing a two-phase plan. Phase One, scheduled for first quarter of 2014, consists of surveying property owners about current signage status and preferences. A limited supply of new signs is available for sale. Details about replacement cost and responsibility were discussed. Gertz said the $45 fee was for replacement cost and the money went into a fund at the City for future replacement. The fee should now be set at whatever replication costs are today with no profit. Cofer Evert said finding out if the replacement fund still exists is something to add to the list of questions needing answers. Phase Two, which would take place in second quarter after the completion of Phase One, would be about creating greater awareness of the program via media and online sources and identifying additional eligible properties. A section should be added to the website with information about the program and a PDF download of the application,both of which need updating, as well as the City's Cultural Resources Survey referenced in the application. Gertz explained the Cultural Resources Survey HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES November 18, 2013 Page 3 is the City's ongoing inventory of all the historic properties surveyed over time. Cofer Evert reviewed proposed changes to the application and program description. Depending on the response to Phase Two, additional signage may need to be purchased. McGuire suggested word be spread via the high school newspaper. Jeter said she is on staff and will look into this. Olson suggested, as part of the Phase One survey, asking private owners if they are open to having their property added to the heritage sites webpage, although he questioned the timing of this due to lack of control over the website. Muehlberg said he considers them to be two separate matters. We should not need to wait for the website to be ready before asking owners. We just would not be able to commit to timing of when the sites would be online. Cofer Evert agreed Phase One is not dependent on the website,but it would be helpful to have it up and running for Phase Two. Spera asked if there are requirements for how and where the signs are displayed. Gertz said the bronze are intended to go on the house while the aluminum can be on the house or the street. Street signs are regulated by the streets department. It is up to the owners if they want their signs wall or post-mounted. Gertz said updated prices on replacements are needed. Erie Landmark in Pennsylvania manufactured the bronze signs and the others were done locally by an Eden Prairie print shop. The artwork for them is at the City. Cofer Evert suggested maybe resin copies could be made instead. It is hard to tell the difference between resin and bronze in appearance and they would not require heavy wall anchors. Creamer said they would probably hold up well, too. Gertz said it may also be possible to get an aluminum version of the bronze plaque. The same pressed material used in the interpretive panels is an alternative for the aluminum signs. Cofer Evert said an inspection of the historical interpretive panels a year ago revealed they were in varying states of condition. Some were in great shape while others were dirty, vandalized, or otherwise damaged. She proposed we turn cleaning and minor repairs over to the Parks and Recreation Department first saying they could report back if the work extends beyond that and explain what the scope is. The panels need to look better. It is a matter of pride. We could request a grant or funds from the City for signs in need of replacement. The artwork already exists; we would just need the insert if the metal stand or concrete base is in good condition. Gertz said it is getting too late in the year to do repairs now. The manufacturer recommends an automotive buffing compound for cleaning. Creamer said it is a reasonable request since it is part of routine maintenance. Cofer Evert mentioned Ann Schuster at Dunn Brothers said her care routine of the panel at CG consisted of hot soapy water. Gertz pointed out the panel at CG is a more modern sign crafted from different material than fiberglass. Freiberg suggested Boy Scouts and Jeter recommended high school students as possible volunteers to recruit for this project. Colford said there is an outreach room HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES November 18, 2013 Page 4 at school where students can sign up for community service hours. McGuire said someone from the City would need to supervise the process. Olson said one sign should be done by City staff to make sure the technique works prior to opening it up to volunteers. Cofer Evert said using volunteers is an option if staff has concerns about incorporating this into their protocol. D. UPDATE ON REEDER RIDGE PROJECT - Creamer City staff and the City attorney met last week with Ian Peterson of Pulte Homes (PH) and the state archaeologist to discuss the conservation easements and cultural areas in the Reeder Ridge development. Creamer distributed copies of a post-meeting memo sent to PH from the project planner and explained an accompanying graphic of the development given to her by the planner. The City wants the conservation easements marked by signs. She showed the areas where signs will go so they don't infringe upon the burial mounds. PH will be consulting the Indian Affairs Council (IAC) regarding allowed signage. PH intends to apply the same criteria to the cultural mounds as the conservation easements with orders not to mow or disturb those areas. This is stricter than what the state archaeologist indicated was permissible, so there has been some conflicting information. Gertz said IAC has the final say in this matter. It is within the state archaeologist's jurisdiction to classify burial mounds,but it is the IAC's right to determine what they will allow for usage and signage. Cofer asked if the City was included in communications from IAC. It would be in the City's best interest to have documentation and records to avoid problems down the road. Gertz agreed copying the City on all communications is in order and needs to be coordinated with PH, the state archaeologist, and IAC. Creamer said the original homeowners will know if a cultural area exists on their property,but the surveys will also reflect `do not disturb' areas for subsequent owners. This was requested on particular lots in order to protect resources, and the City will have copies on file. Monitoring will be up to the homeowners association. Gertz said the homeowners association document will contain the necessary information, and it should be on the individual property titles as well. McGuire asked if this should fall under the Planning Department rather than the HPC. Gertz said it falls to the HPC for review and recommendations because it is a cultural resource. Planning would not have the background to comment. Creamer explained Planning deals more with zoning and land use. Gertz said we should follow up to make sure the titles include the necessary information. Creamer said she will check into this. McGuire asked who will own the cultural areas. Creamer said the Homeowner's Association will. Gertz said there are penalties for making changes to a conservation area and it is a felony to knowingly disturb any type of burial ground. Spera asked what would happen if the homeowners association is dissolved. Gertz reiterated this is why it needs to be on the titles. The language should be specific and not just mention the conservation easement,but the burial site as well. Cofer Evert said the legal ramifications should be included. Gertz said minimally a reference to the state statute would suffice. According to the planner's memo, it sounds like the HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES November 18, 2013 Page 5 City will have an opportunity to review and approve these types of documents prior to being recorded. Cofer Evert asked about the status of on-site supervision. Creamer said she checked with Engineering and they took pictures of the fencing. Someone is there two to three times a day and it is being well-monitored. Cofer Evert asked if a model home or office was up yet. It would be interesting to learn what is being disclosed to prospective buyers. Creamer said the sewer and water and roads are in and PH is eager to get a model built. E. WEBSITE UPDATE—Creamer There has been significant progress on the website. Information Technology (IT) is fully staffed,but now Communications is seeing some turnover. Communications have given the go ahead to launch the website. The highlighted areas on the map have been adjusted so they are easier to see. The sites tab was removed since all the historic sites are displayed on one page. IT was unable to determine how to get the word"local" to wrap to the next line in the text boxes,but this is not a big concern. The photo for Riley-Jacques Farmstead was switched to a picture of the barn instead of the house because that is what the text refers to. The photo needs to be reduced in size so it doesn't cover the text. Initially there will be links to the webpage under the map gallery and the HPC areas of the City's website. Cofer Evert asked why CG is being referred to as the J.R. Cummins House instead of the Cummins Grill House. Gertz said both are correct but we should stick with J.R. Cummins because it is locally and nationally designated as such. Cummins Phipps Grill is more of a local reference. Discussion followed about the appropriate name for SDM. Gertz said he would have to check the local designation to be sure. Creamer said some,but not all, of the historic sites link to another webpage with additional information. Dan, the new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) person, will be responsible for getting the map gallery link up by year-end. He may come to a future HPC meeting. Communications needs to get it onto the HPC page. Jeter said she thought a the on the left side of the City's homepage linking to the historic sites would be good. Creamer said she inquired about that early on and was told it would be too difficult to add. Freiberg mentioned people won't be able to find it if they have to dig too deep. Cofer Evert said there should be a history drop-down somewhere. People may not think to look under commissions for information on historic properties. Minimally there should be a brief paragraph added to, and a historic sites link from, the Eden Prairie History page. Gertz noted the current information on the Eden Prairie History page is in need of updating, too. Cofer Evert said quarterly website updates should be added to the work plan. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES November 18, 2013 Page 6 V. OLD BUSINESS A. WORK PLAN REVIEW Gertz said there is still unfinished work relating to the Dorenkemper House (DK). Creamer recommended adding national registration for SDM to the 2014 work plan. Gertz said that would be a good Certified Local Government(CLG) grant project. Cofer Evert also suggested EPCF as a possible source of funding for this. Gertz explained foundation money tends to be awarded to projects more tangible in nature. Educational materials and signage were also suggested for EPCF grants. Gertz said it has not yet been determined how the DK interpretive signs will be mounted. A free- standing kiosk would be perfect for a foundation grant. Creamer asked commissioners to reflect on both the 2013 and 2014 work plans and bring their ideas or thoughts to next month's meeting. McGuire said she had been thinking about attending the national conference next year in Philadelphia. Creamer said she will check into the details. Maybe there will be scholarship money available. Creamer announced the HPC will present at a City Council workshop on January 21, 2014. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. REVIEW BIDS RECEIVED FROM RFPs FOR CLG GRANT PROJECT Creamer distributed copies of proposals for two interpretive signs for the Riley- Jacques Farmstead project from The 106 Group (106) and Bluestem Heritage Group (BHG). Each was in the neighborhood of$10,000, half of which will be paid for with grant funds and the rest via a match from the City. Creamer said we have until July 31, 2014 to use the money. She is looking for the HPC to make a recommendation tonight. Gertz referred to the distributed bid selection worksheet. It contains review criteria published in the Request for Proposal (RFP) used for selecting contractors. At McGuire and Cofer Evert's request, Gertz briefly reviewed the criteria and summarized the proposals. He noted both proposals and groups meet the standards in terms of professional qualifications, experience with interpretive projects, demonstrated ability to complete projects on schedule, budget, and references. We have not used either group in the past. Gertz said upon reading both proposals, what he liked about BHG is the educational background of the principals. They have experience in teaching and curriculum planning and were history majors. Because this is an educational project and we want students to gain from it, this expertise is helpful. Looking ahead to the interpretive planning phase, this experience will mesh well with the Eden Prairie school district's future involvement. BHG can be encouraged to work with Eden Prairie's curriculum planners and teachers to use the site more. BHG's final cost also came in slightly lower than 106's at$150 less. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES November 18, 2013 Page 7 BHG proposes doing a lot of research, more so than what 106 indicated. This is important because there are gaps in the information we have on DK history which could be filled in with research. The 106 meeting schedule is compact and allows for limited meetings and conference calls after the initial meeting. This may not be most conducive for this type of project. Gertz prefers face-to-face meetings and got the sense BHG is more flexible in regards to scheduling meetings as needed. BHG's proposal shows more flexibility with the design and review stages as well. 106 proposed one week which is possible but may not allow for unpredictable delays in City review. Gertz said one thing he was not sure about was BHG's lack of mentioning graphic designer specifics. He assumes they do not have an in-house designer and would contract the work out. This does not make him uncomfortable given their work on past projects of this nature,but it is worth asking who they intend to use if selected. Although he likes that 106 has an in-house graphic designer,he is unsure about the amount of research time allotted, the meeting logistics, and the graphic review and planning limitations. Deliverables are the same between the groups: two completed signs and electronic or CD-formatted files for future reproduction. The qualifications of the personnel who would be involved are good either way. Gertz knows of both companies; they are reputable and do excellent work. It really boils down to a few minor details. He feels we would really get quality educational opportunities with BHG. Creamer said whatever contractor is selected, it is likely the same contractor would be used for the next phase of the project. Gertz said it is not a necessity but it makes sense. Freiberg said he liked how BHG broke down the research element of the project. Gertz said he felt the minor budget difference was negligible. Muehlberg said it may not seem significant,but it is the low bid. We get more for less with BHG. He asked if there might be an extra charge to meet with 106 staff in person. Gertz said he understands 106 is probably just trying to manage their time efficiently with conference calls,but he got the impression BHG is not as concerned with overhead costs. Muehlberg said Gertz did a great job summarizing the two proposals. McGuire noted 106 has significantly more national experience while BHG's expertise is more local. Gertz said he thinks they are a wash locally and are equally matched in interpretive work. 106 has an office in Washington D.C., but their scope of services goes well beyond interpretive projects. While they provide a broad range of services, they do good interpretive work. BHG tends to work on interpretive projects, educational materials, and museums. They have done a lot of important projects. It is his interpretation that despite the more narrow focus, BHG's flexibility might make things go more smoothly given the City and Commission's structured schedules. Freiberg said there is evidence in the proposal that BHG's focus is in line with Gertz's assessment. They have experience working with groups like the HPC. Olson said he views this as working with a boutique shop rather than a large production facility. McGuire said it seems like a toss-up. We can't go wrong either way. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES November 18, 2013 Page 8 Gertz said 106 asked if they would have to produce the sign stands and work with the same graphic design in existence today. They were told the size cannot change due to existing stands and national park service standards,but we are moving to new material and there is no reason the design needs to stay the same. This is an opportunity to improve on what we have. They need to produce only the panels and not the stands. The City is still deciding whether the signs will be mounted on stands or a kiosk. Creamer said 106 also inquired about the conference calls and if one week was enough time to finalize review and comments of various stages of the project. They were told both were doable but conference calls were not preferred. Spera asked about BHG's lack of designation in the proposal of a graphic designer. Gertz reiterated he is not concerned about it but it should be discussed before signing a contract. They have done a lot of work in this area before. The proposal does reflect the amount of funds allocated to the service which they would likely sub-contract out. Spera asked who would serve as the project contact. Gertz said Creamer will work with City staff to prepare a contract with the selected company. 106 is proposing a workshop with an interpretive panel review committee which would consist of Creamer, Gertz, one or two commission members, and other necessary personnel from the City. BHG would do the same. It serves as a meet-and-greet to determine who is working on the project and who is responsible for what. Creamer will administer the project and grant, commissioners are responsible for review and comment and reporting back to the UPC. Gertz's role is as a hired consultant for the City. The Commission might choose to have a representative from EPHS since their records will be used. Subsequent meetings will take place after material gets drafted. Information will be distributed by Creamer as needed. Creamer said more than three commissioners could participate as long as proper meeting notice is published. Cofer Evert suggested pushing the deliverables date up one month from July to June. This would still allow plenty of time as well as a 30-day cushion given it will be summer and people take vacations, etc. Six months to complete the project seems like an extremely long amount of time. Gertz said they could ask for adjustments in the schedule as the project progresses. Additionally, there are built-in buffers in CLG grants. If the project is not done on time, extensions in two-week increments are available. The final invoice must be dated by July 31 unless an extension is received. The selected group has until then to do the work and he doesn't think they will want to shorten the timeline. Projects typically run into the last week. Six months may seem like a long time,but it is actually half of the original time granted. Cofer Evert argued six months for two signs is more than ample time considering a majority of the history is already available and ready to hand over. Gertz asked Cofer Evert what her concern was. She said she wants to avoid panic and scrambling at the end if there are any delays. Gertz again mentioned the extension buffer. Creamer said she would prefer not getting into the situation of having to ask for extensions. Olson pointed out the RFP had the July 31 date on it. Gertz said the date was determined by the CLG grant agreement. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES November 18, 2013 Page 9 Muehlberg said he thought it best to select a group and then discuss schedule adjustments. Gertz agreed with this approach. He understands the concerns, but a month from a contractor's perspective is huge. We can ask for it during the project. Cofer maintained we are in control, and they would still have six months to complete the project. Olson said he would lean towards moving it up two weeks rather than a full month which still provides a cushion. Spera said she preferred to give them all the time they need so they do a good job. Gertz said although it seems like a long time, the company may have other projects going on simultaneously. His experience working with contractors on CLG projects has been the more time you give them, the better off you are. He does not think six months is very much time. 106 even expressed it was a short timeframe which is why they asked for one week maximum for review time on the City's end. It all relates back to workloads. Muehlberg said for tonight's purposes of making a recommendation, both groups have the same schedule and they need to be evaluated based on that. They did as they were asked. Negotiations can occur before the contract is signed. Gertz said he did not see a reason why BHG would say no to a two-week buffer. MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by Freiberg, that based on selection criteria in the RFP and review of both proposals, the HPC finds BHG's proposal better meets the City's goals and expectations for this project and recommends the City enter into negotiations with BHG seeking clarification of their graphic designer and requesting panels be delivered by July 17''. Motion carried 6-0. B. 2014 WORK PLAN IDEAS This item was addressed out of order under Item V.A. VII. FYI ITEMS None VIII. STUDENT UPDATES The commissioners congratulated Jeter for making all-state in cross country. IX. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, December 16, 2013, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Freiberg moved, seconded by McGuire, to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Muehlberg adjourned the meeting at 9:20 p.m.