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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 01/27/2014 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY,JANUARY 27, 2014 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 GUESTS: Sara Yaeger, Bluestem Heritage Group Nancy O'Brien Wagner, Bluestem Heritage Group Kathie Case, Eden Prairie Historical Society Tracy Hope, Eden Prairie Historical Society I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Following introductions, Chair Muehlberg called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Commissioners McGuire and Paulson and Student Representatives Jeter, Colford, and Lindberg were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Freiberg moved, seconded by Cofer Evert, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by Freiberg, to approve the December 16, 2013 minutes. Motion carried 4-0-1 with Cofer Evert abstaining. IV. GUEST SPEAKER—BLUESTEM HERITAGE GROUP (BHG) Creamer introduced BHG as the contractor for the Riley-Jacques Farmstead Project. Yaeger said she and O'Brien Wagner met with Case, Gertz, and Creamer to get started on research. Through a brief slide presentation, she explained BHG works primarily with small historical organizations and museums throughout Minnesota and helps them move to the next level through fundraising, management and program development, exhibit planning, and historic preservation work. She went over a client list and some of the projects with which BHG has been involved and touched a bit more on their capabilities. One award-winning project of which they are particularly proud is an exhibit they did for HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES January 27, 2014 Page 2 the Firefighter's Hall and Museum called 81 Minutes. It was a commemoration of the five-year anniversary of the 35 W bridge collapse and the rescue response to that. O'Brien Wagner addressed Riley-Jacques and Geisler/Dorenkemper project specifics. The Riley-Jacques home (RJ) is where it has always been, but the Dorenkemper House (DH) was moved to Riley Lake Park in 2002. BHG has been contracted to do two signs for interpretive content related to the history, significance, and preservation of the DH and Riley-Jacques Farm, and their context in Eden Prairie history. This entails research of the homes and the families who lived in them. The end product will be research files (mostly likely in paper form which will eventually go to EPHS), two 36 x 48 interpretive panels, and graphic design files. The Request for Proposal (RFP) and contract states high-pressure laminate panels, however a new material is available which the UPC may want to consider. O'Brien Wagner circulated samples of the two sign types to show color quality and explained that the standard for some time has been the laminate. It is a good plastic material but has been known to have some failure leading to edge fading. The new product on the market is applied directly to metal and is stronger. It has UV protection to help prevent fading, and there is plastic around the edges. It appears to be working better in the field,but it doesn't have the longevity yet to test it. Both types are done by two local sign companies. The metal is cheaper to create. The National Park Service has had some vandalism issues and is switching to metal. Both materials are paint resistant and should clean up well. Copies of the work plan and project description/deliverables were distributed. The project is scheduled to be done by the end of May which allows for plenty of time to install the signs and finish up any paperwork. The production stage is about four weeks, so BHG would like all review done by the end of April. The HPC will be able to weigh in on the draft text, graphic design, and final versions. O'Brien Wagner said she appreciates the access she has been given to the existing files. She is ecstatic about having so much information available to her. RJ had already been researched pretty well,but this is not the case for DH. She pointed out the location of the Patrick Riley site on an 1870 Hennepin map noting that maps are not always entirely reliable. There was no home shown on the Geisler property, but it is known one was there. People commonly owned non-adjacent pieces of land back then. In her research, she has encountered multiple spellings for both first and last names of those who lived in the area. The 1860 federal census supports moving DH to its current location. One way to frame the bulk of the information is to talk about the different stages of immigrant homestead development. It is tempting to address the early log home settlement stage of DH in the 1850s. The second stage is the more permanent frame house, or brick in the case of RJ. It would be nice to capture both at the same time. Gertz asked what more we could do to help. O'Brien Wagner said the information she has already received and EPHS's files have been most helpful. Gertz said he can send a copy of the local designation form and a sheet that was prepared by either EPHS or Ginny Dorenkemper. O'Brien Wagner said research begins with on-site files in the City's archives and then moves to the Hennepin and Minnesota historical societies. Case asked HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES January 27, 2014 Page 3 if O'Brien Wagner had run across anything in her research indicating a different pronunciation of Jacques. She said she had not but will let us know if she does. Freiberg said he knows a Jacques family member who has always pronounced it"lakes". O'Brien Wagner said sometimes names are Americanized, and sometimes census takers are not diligent in recording correct spellings. Cofer Evert asked if they will share presentation materials each time they come. O'Brien Wagner said they would—next time they will have text for the whole group. They will be working with the committee for specific questions. Olson asked if we would amend a Minnesota historic property record or national nomination with information revealed in the research process. O'Brien Wagner said since the project is legacy-funded, they will get the full report which should be filed in the State Historic Preservation Office archives. Because DH was moved, it is not eligible for the National Historic Register. Cofer Evert commented on the overwhelming amount of information available and asked how they would decide what to use. O'Brien Wagner said they use the 3-30-3 rule of thumb in interpretation: three seconds to capture attention with a really good headline; 30 seconds to draw the reader in with subheadings, captions, or pictures; three minutes is the maximum amount of time they will read which equates to about one page of text or 300 words. It is not possible to do every story and include every family that lived in the homes. The best interpretation is unique, significant, compelling, transformative, and marketable. For example, gardens may not be unique in context in Eden Prairie but urban fringe farms are. There was a transition from being self-sufficient and raising a little bit of cash crops for trade at local merchants to providing produce to cities with a train line coming through. The reason the land was valuable for agriculture is the same reason it was for valuable for development. Another option is to talk about Riley Lake as a wonderful natural resource and address the Dakota, the fish, and the Jacques' family boat rental. There is a boat rental there today, and people have been living on the lake for centuries. She is not sure of the angle yet,but there are many approaches to take. It is unfortunate there is not a more comprehensive interpretive plan in place. The project is small so if the content doesn't work with the larger plan down the road, at least they can have a couple signs up for a few years. They will do the best they can. What they create will likely tie in. Gertz asked if they will draft a list of interpretive themes. O'Brien Wagner said they could but questioned how that would fit in with the frequency of meetings. Cofer Evert suggested emailing the information. They can send it to Creamer who can forward it to the commissioners. Yaeger asked if the City has any design guidelines. Creamer said the panels should contain the City logo which she will email. There was discussion at a recent Council workshop about using Quick Response (QR) codes. Communications had indicated a preference for the website because codes can change, but people can always search the website. This has not been addressed at the commission level. The HPC will discuss this topic later on the agenda. Gertz said the nice thing about QR codes is they bring you directly to what you're looking for as opposed to having to go through multiple steps on a website. Yaeger inquired if Communications needs to approve the graphic design. Creamer said they would need to approve the logo size and placement. The historical lady slipper design should also be included. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES January 27, 2014 Page 4 Cofer Evert asked if they had seen any of the City's other interpretive signs. They have a certain look and feel to them. Yaeger said they have not and asked if they need to duplicate them. Gertz said he didn't think so but it might be helpful to see them. He requested Creamer retrieve the Planning Division's spiral notebook of mini versions of the panels to show them during intermission. Gertz said the HPC did preliminary work on interpretive planning years ago when DH was moved. There was a rough period of significance determined for the property. They might be interested in seeing it; it may fit well with what they are doing. The start date is undetermined but it moves up into the 1920s or 1930s because of some of the things preserved in the home. The first electric lighting was salvaged from the house. Cofer Evert said she liked the more cost-effective metal sign material. Some of our current signs have not aged well. Freiberg asked how the metal holds up to burns. O'Brien Wagner said the information she has states it will not blister, crack, or peel. It is fire, flame and smoke resistant and meets the ASTM Mechanical Performance Specification of E 84 class A rating. The laminate needs to be braced because it is thin and wobbly. The metal doesn't need to be braced until it exceeds five feet. The contract is for the signs only, but they are happy to offer advice on mounting. Muehlberg said he prefers the metal. It is more economical and he likes the smooth rounded edges. The chance of delaminating would be reduced. Spera asked if there are any advantages to the laminate. O'Brien Wagner said she wasn't aware of any; there just weren't any viable alternatives before. Commissioners unanimously decided to go with the metal signs. Commissioners took a brief intermission at 7:35 pm during which BHG looked at prototypes of the City's interpretive panels prior to departing. V. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. UPDATE ON HISTORIC SITES Case said EPHS made about $5,000 from its Santa event, half of which pays for capital improvements at the Cummins Grill House (CG). Valerie Ross, EPHS Vice President, did a great job organizing the event. They have already approved for the event to happen again next year. Cofer Evert circulated an article about the event. Case said there have been problems with the furnace for many years. City staff replaced the furnace and is installing an air conditioning system for the first time which will come with humidity control. Case said EPHS is holding an event at CG the last weekend in April. Hope is helping out along with Carrie Marshall from Marshall's Farm Market. Hope stated they are planning a vintage sale/farmers market. Case said it is open to the public, and anyone who comes will be able to see the house. Case reported they are currently working on using funds to do educational interpretive panels for the inside walls so renters can learn the history of the house HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES January 27, 2014 Page 5 when docents aren't there. They are also looking into other ways to open the house to the public at no cost which could be in the form of more free events and tour groups. Case said she has spoken with Nicole Minton, Recreation Supervisor for the City. Minton is planning another fall harvest-type event for October 4. She is not sure of the name yet, but Case would like to see it go back to"Sunbonnet Day". Minton had asked if EPHS would be interested in doing a city tour where they get a trolley and leave from the barn to go to different sites such as CG, the Smith Douglas More House, and the 1924 gym at the Eden Prairie Consolidated School. The plan for DH and RJ might be a way to get the HPC involved. Minton wants to start making plans in April. Creamer explained the HPC had just talked about doing a history tour or something similar as part of the 2014 work plan. Muehlberg said it falls under site promotion. Case said they will need a lot of bodies to help. Case said a Cummins-Phipps-Grill committee works at the house, comes up with events, helps promote restoration, and works on grants. Committee members have all been given the long range plan along with a copy of the lease agreement with the City. The plan needs to be renewed in a year so it was time to review it to make sure everything was up to par. During the review process, it came to their attention they need to have an HPC member on the committee along with a preservation specialist. Gertz has already agreed to be the specialist,but they are looking for a commission member to serve on the committee. It would be great to have an HPC member in attendance at the meetings. It is important to have continual conversations so the commission knows what is going on. An HPC member would be extremely valuable when it comes to major restoration. Freiberg said he would volunteer. Case noted the committee has been imbalanced since every member is on the board with the exception of one. The first step to improving this is to get Gertz and Freiberg. The next step is finding four others to serve from the EPHS pool who are not on the board. Membership increased by over 140 from the Calico Ball event. Cofer Evert said the EPHS is doing a great job and complimented them on their events. Case said they are fortunate to have Hope join the force as a new member. Cofer asked if a date has been set for the HPC/EPHS joint meeting. A brief discussion ensued, but no decision was made. B. JANUARY 21, 2014 COUNCIL WORKSHOP UPDATE - Muehlberg At the Council's recent workshop, Muehlberg did a recap of the previous year and presented the HPC's work plan and goals for the upcoming year. He talked about different ways to promote the City's historic properties and resources. Creamer demonstrated the website. The website was a request from last year's workshop, and council members were happy with the results. There was some discussion at the workshop about QR codes for interpretive panels. It was suggested that even if a code changes, a sticker with the new code can be placed over the old one. Creamer asked for commissioner feedback on the QR codes. Olson said he thought the website has just as great a chance of becoming outdated as a QR code. Gertz had a HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES January 27, 2014 Page 6 good point. The more people have to struggle to get to where they want to go, the less likely they will be to want to use it. Freiberg asked, and Cofer Evert explained,how QR codes work. Discussion ensued. It was determined QR codes are desirable for the interpretive panels. Creamer agreed. Having to search online will slow people down and make them lose interest. A QR code would lead the user to what you see when you click on the map on the website. Spera asked if a code would distract visitors from reading a sign. Cofer Evert said she thought it would not replace the experience, just enhance it. It is not a bad thing,however, if it does. Either way, via sign or website, the visitor will be engaged. Creamer said the panels will have nice graphics to draw people in. Gertz explained they are not likely to have too much text to deter readers. Olson said he does not see a downside. Creamer said we can have the website address on the panels in addition to QR codes. Creamer said a council member asked at the workshop about the status of the Overlook. Muehlberg said they explained our hands are tied since there is no public access to it. Parks and Recreation showed their plans for the area,but Creamer said nothing has been done yet. Muehlberg said there are zoning issues being discussed with the Planning Commission and Metropolitan Airport Commission tonight. Creamer explained they want the airport to be self-sufficient. There are six parcels of land being considered for rezoning as commercial/office development. One of them is the community gardens area. Freiberg noted there are a lot of athletic fields nearby. Creamer said one suggestion from Council was to print historic maps, photos, and images from the website and display them as wall art at City Center as a way to get more visibility of the City's historic properties. Cofer Evert mentioned a project she recently worked on at Star Bank where there is a display of old and current photos of historic places in Eden Prairie. Something similar could be done at City Center depending on available space and funds. She will research pricing and already has access to photos we could use. Gertz said it is something for which we might be able to get grant funding. Creamer said it is not expensive to reproduce images on canvas. Visuals are a good way to engage people. Freiberg said it is a great idea - people do stop and look at historic photos. Olson requested pictures get put on a jump drive and brought to the next meeting. Freiberg said the workshop went well and the Council seemed tuned in. VI. OLD BUSINESS None. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES January 27, 2014 Page 7 VII. NEW BUSINESS A. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION - Creamer The Annual State Historic Preservation Conference and the American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) conference are being combined this year in St. Paul. The AASLH conference is making its first appearance in Minnesota in 74 years. It will take place September 17-20, 2014. The theme is "Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts", and approximately 1,000 history professionals from North America are expected to attend. Scholarships of up to $800/person are available via SHPO only through April. Creamer will email a link with more information tomorrow. Interested parties should let Creamer know before the February meeting and plan on attending at least two days of the conference. Scholarship funds can be used towards the cost of the conference or full-day or half-day tours. Lodging is not included due to proximity. Gertz said EPHS members might be interested as well. Freiberg asked how many scholarships are available. Creamer said she is not certain. The City will send two people for sure to fulfill the Certified Local Government requirement. The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions conference will be held in Philadelphia July 16-20, 2014. VIII. FYI ITEMS A. CITY COMMISSION OPENINGS - Creamer Two three-year seats are opening up on the UPC. Muehlberg's and Cofer Evert's terms are up. If Muehlberg wishes to continue,he needs to be unanimously voted in because he has already served two three-year terms. Applications for new candidates are due February 12; incumbents have until January 31 to make their intentions known. Interviews will be February 26. Cofer Evert has completed one three-year term. She said it is important to give others an opportunity to serve,but she enjoys being on the commission. IX. STUDENT UPDATES None X. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, February 24, 2014, 7 p.m. at the Smith Douglas More House, 8107 Eden Prairie Road. Olson and Cofer Evert announced they are unable to attend. It was noted Bluestem should be asked to bring hard copies of their materials. Muehlberg suggested May as a possibility for the HPC/EPHS joint meeting. Creamer said will check with EPHS to see if May 19 works and if we can meet at CG. One agenda item is the fall harvest event. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES January 27, 2014 Page 8 Gertz said he would let commissioners know when the committee meetings are for the Riley-Jacques Farmstead project. Committee members include Gertz, Case, and Creamer. Cofer Evert expressed an interest in serving on the committee as well. Discussion ensued about whether BHG plans to include the entire commission or just the committee in the review process. Creamer said she got the impression during the presentation BHG was planning to be at the February and April commission meetings and any questions that came up in between would be asked of the smaller committee. There may be questions committee members are not able to address. The whole commission is needed to make final decisions. Muehlberg said it is ok to meet with the committee in between commission meetings. There is no need to wait for the monthly meetings in order to move forward, but review and comment should come before the HPC. Creamer said she will clarify the process with BHG. Gertz said he sent BHG some information on the interpretive plan and they have expressed interest. The sooner it gets launched, the better. That way the two projects can be tied together. An RFP is not required,but we do need to get quotes from contractors. This can be done by sending out the project specs using the grant proposal and asking contractors to submit qualifications, estimates, and hourly rates for services. Creamer said she will get this done and send it out to BHG and two others this week. Contractors have ten days to submit quotes so she could have the information to commissioners for review prior to the February meeting. Cofer Evert shared a Star Tribune article about the Chanhassen archaeological dig. Archaeologists are racing to finish before a road project begins in the area. Extremely cold temps have caused delays. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Freiberg, to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Muehlberg adjourned the meeting at 8:57 p.m.