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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 10/20/2014 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Prairie Rooms A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Ed Muehlberg (Chair), Cindy Cofer Evert (Vice Chair), Steve Olson, JoAnn McGuire, Pamela Spera, Mark Freiberg, Deb Paulson STAFF: Robert Vogel, Pathfinder CRM, LLC Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Zeinab Hussen, Alexander Modeas, Courtney Sweeney GUESTS: Sara Yaeger, Bluestem Heritage Group Nancy O'Brien Wagner, Bluestem Heritage Group I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Muehlberg called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Vogel and Commissioners Spera and Paulson were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Creamer added"Student Reports" after Item IV. MOTION: Freiberg moved, seconded by Olson, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Cofer Evert proposed the following changes: -page 2,paragraph 4: strike remainder of first sentence after"slowly" and combine with the following sentence. -page 3, Item V.A.,paragraph 3: replace "naive" with"unsure" in the first sentence and add "expectations" after"abilities". -page 3, Item V.A. paragraph 3: replace "The tendency has been to follow" in the second sentence with"In recent years, the UPC has followed". -page 3, Item V.A. paragraph 3: add "since we had been working under the guidance of the previous consultant from Pathfinder for several years" to the end of the last sentence. -page 6,paragraph 4: add "Vogel stated" to the beginning of the first sentence. -page 6, Item VLB.,paragraph 2: add"and unattractive" to the end of the fifth sentence. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 20, 2014 Page 2 MOTION: Olson moved, seconded by Freiberg, to approve the September 15, 2014 minutes as amended. Motion carried 5-0. IV. GUEST SPEAKER—BLUESTEM HERITAGE GROUP (BHG) A. UPDATE ON RILEY-JACOUES INTERPRETIVE PROJECT Nancy O'Brien Wagner defined what an interpretive plan is and explained the elements involved. She said BHG's earlier research for the two completed interpretive signs focused on visible structures. Broadening the scope to include the lake and the park as a whole makes for a more appealing story than solely early pioneer and agricultural history and historic homes and will provide more connections within the Eden Prairie community. They are proposing a central interpretive message of lake, land, people, and place. The first three are individual sub-themes with Riley Lake (place) integrated into each. "Lake" can be summarized into main stories from a cultural history or science standpoint: natural history of the lake and shoreline, agricultural uses and ice harvesting, fishing/boating/tourism, and conservation." Land" focuses on pre- settlement natural history and use of the land, settlement and homesteading, cash crops and arrival of railroads, market/truck and dairy farming, and suburban development. "People" centers on the Dakota, early settlers, second generation farmers, and suburban developers. Freiberg noted the land and people stories branch out which is consistent with what we have been hearing in terms of needing to include all people. Cofer Evert said she appreciates BHG's thoroughness and effort so far. She likes the themes and is glad the Native American stories are included as they are important. She hopes to see more of the colorful nature of lake attraction history brought out such as the Duchess Resort. O'Brien Wagner stressed the importance of delivery methods for the interpretive message. The Dorenkemper House does not have accessible bathrooms, heat, or room to accommodate large groups of people. Unfortunately, this makes it non- conducive for school tours. Lack of climate control also creates exhibit limitations. Competition for these types of sites for field trips is already high. For these reasons,historic reuse is recommended as the best way to interpret the home. One idea the committee supports is having a community garden group meet in the building which would tie the use of the building to its historical purpose as an agricultural center. There are other farm models which could be emulated, as well. Creamer said she will share these findings with Park and Rec given their desire to move a community garden on-site. Additional discussion is warranted,but one option is to partner with them. They sponsor the fall harvest celebration onsite, as well. She shared the HPC's concerns about the proposed garden with BHG. O'Brien Wagner said farming did tend to be messy back then. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 20, 2014 Page 3 Olson inquired if the interpretive plan is for the structure or the site. Creamer said the legacy grant is for the site. Cofer Evert asked if the grant includes signs or just the plan. O'Brien Wagner explained the interpretive plan and kiosk with four signs are two separate projects. O'Brien Wagner said interpretive signage is recommended for the site. The infrastructure is in place so it is well-suited for that. Other things that would work well are barn exhibits, self-guided and guided group tours, programs/ demonstrations/events, nature and wildlife programs, Heritage Days, and other individual events. If carefully thought out, school programs could work here with smaller groups being brought into the house on a rotating basis. Muehlberg said given the significant role winter plays here, it would be nice to reference winter lake usage in the interpretive signage. Cofer Evert asked if the paths referred to in the plan were literal or figurative. Currently there is not much in the way of actual paths drawing people up from the area of the baseball fields. O'Brien Wagner said the term was used figuratively with the exception of the people path. A people path is recommended between the north parking lot and DH. It should continue on to connect all the way to the lake. O'Brien Wagner discussed the proposed plan for signage and path placement explaining three signs are recommended for each of the three themes, some of which would be duplicated. One path would facilitate a circle route of interpretive signage. Creamer said Park and Rec is recommending a path around the proposed community garden which would also provide handicapped accessibility from the parking lot to the ramp at DH. Discussion ensued about the driveway and proposed paths in the area of the Riley House and how it should be made clearer the home is a private residence. O'Brien Wagner said that area needs more thought. A community garden would be a suitable spot for an interpretive sign. She clarified the other interpretive paths are linear. With the exception of adding the north lot-to-lake people path, the existing paths should suffice. An additional optional sign on the nearby bike path is strongly recommended. Cofer Evert said this would draw in people coming from Chaska. Cofer Evert stated the Anderson School should be included if the property served as its original site. O'Brien Wagner agreed this would fit well under the people theme. O'Brien Wagner said the HPC can benefit from capacity-building partnerships. The Eden Prairie Historical Society (EPHS) and Park and Rec are recommended partners. She also suggested sponsoring and building a"Friends of Riley Park" group. Cofer Evert said she likes the concept of a"friends" group but wonders if it should be more general to include other historic sites in Eden Prairie. O'Brien Wagner said she recommends zeroing in because in most communities, the historical society functions as that group. Creamer asked how to go about starting a group like that. O'Brien Wagner suggested starting with representatives from the HPC, Park and Rec, and EPHS and building from there as well as asking EPHS for names of those who might like to run such a program. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 20, 2014 Page 4 O'Brien asked commissioners to identify any plan concerns or suggestions, prioritize the next steps, and make a recommendation to accept the plan. She reviewed a list of suggested priorities. Cofer Evert stated her perspective is the interpretive signage should be the highest priority since it has already been started. It meets the education portion of our mission and would serve the most people as quickly as possible. The other ideas are good, too,but they would likely take longer from a human resources and time standpoint whereas the signage is doable sooner. Muehlberg said we do not have funding in place to fully implement the plan. Signage is a priority and will need to be phased in so we need to determine which ones to do first. The path is important, too. We need to pursue grants and funding and articulate to Council we want to see better use of the site. O'Brien Wagner said the interpretive plan calls for eleven signs which include the two existing signs but not the four additional kiosk signs. Cofer Evert inquired about cost. O'Brien Wagner said the design, materials, and construction of the kiosk is about half of the contracted $27,000. The remaining amount would go towards sign production. If the kiosk were eliminated, stands would need to be priced out. Signage in that area is needed,but a kiosk is not necessary. Cofer Evert asked if the kiosk is changeable since it is being paid for with grant money. O'Brien Wagner said a kiosk is a covered sign but it can be more modest than the four-sided structure we are envisioning. Kiosks typically include information in addition to interpretive signage such as park rules and orientation information. A number of signs with park rules already exist. A four-sided kiosk is an attractive,but expensive idea. If we go that route, it needs more thought and should include the additional information she mentioned. If we do not do a kiosk, money would be freed up for more signs. Olson asked how sensitive the current signage content is to adaptive reuse of DH. O'Brien Wagner said she thought the signage was independent of that. Whatever happens with the house, the outside signage will still be valid. Sara Yaeger said one scenario for a parallel funding track is to proceed with the kiosk and, at the same time, apply for funding for additional signage via a couple of$10,000 grants. O'Brien Wagner said we could stretch our dollars further if we do a smaller kiosk with two signs instead. That would allow for enough leftover funds to cover an additional two to three signs not on the kiosk. Cofer Evert asked for the cost difference between the approved funds and proposed work. O'Brien Wagner did not have that figure, but said one sign runs around $3,000. The cost per piece decreases as more signs are added. She confirmed available funds would cover the kiosk plan, materials, construction, and signs. Additional money needs to be sought for the remaining eleven signs unless we change the terms of the contract for the kiosk and four signs. She is open to this and could present different options next month. Creamer said she will check with the State Historic Preservation Office to see if changes to the grant agreement are possible. Cofer Evert asked if there are any City funds available. Creamer indicated it all depends on the amount requested. It is a collaborative HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 20, 2014 Page 5 effort. CLG grants require matching funds but we seek them because they cover things legacy grants do not. O'Brien Wagner requested a committee be formed to work with BHG on identifying alternative options. Cofer Evert said she would like to see exhibits on both levels of the barn as a priority given the amount of City-sponsored activities and private rentals on-site. Olson said he likes the enthusiasm for the signs but is unclear if we are impacting the setting with respect to the management plans for the two properties. We don't yet know if we will have community gardens, so we may be out of sequence and need to be careful how we frame the site layout for signage. He is in favor of adaptive reuse for DH but is concerned about how that will sit with EPHS given progress to date for that particular property. We need to tread lightly. Creamer noted we need to consider Ginny Dorenkemper, as well. O'Brien Wagner said she had a conversation with Ann Higgins and Kathie Case of EPHS about this very thing given their vested interest. They indicated they were ok with it because it made sense. They understand history is more important than a display. They want the building saved but are realistic it has been moved and the historic integrity has been changed. Cofer Evert asked if signage or panels could be placed inside the home to show pictures of what it looked like. O'Brien Wagner said they are recommending that. Freiberg said it is different than the Cummins Grill House and needs to be looked at as a hybrid. It makes sense to maximize it. Creamer agreed if buildings don't get used, they deteriorate. We want people to be able to enjoy it. McGuire said she prefers a big kiosk over a smaller one. It will attract people. Muehlberg mentioned Park and Rec will benefit from the kiosk, too, given the park rules and on-site sponsored activities. Creamer said a meeting with Park and Rec is in order to discuss this together since they will be caring for the property and installing the path in the future. Yaeger said BHG will obtain prices for the additional signs. Cofer Evert requested a breakdown of what is covered by money we have already been granted and what is left, also. Muehlberg reiterated it is not a bad idea to take our time and accomplish this in chunks. It gives us time to think about it and see how the site is impacted. Creamer said this will also allow us to obtain input from Park and Rec. Cofer Evert stated she wants to visit the site to see how the ideas will fit. O'Brien Wagner said she recommends this. O'Brien Wagner reviewed the emerging priorities. Muehlberg and Cofer Evert expressed the"friends" group can wait until after kickoff. Cofer Evert said reuse of DH is not a priority according to what Vogel has indicated our responsibilities are, and it has not been on our to-do list. Creamer noted the path and barn exhibits are two items on which it makes sense to partner with Park and Rec. Freiberg commented on the large number of people who visit the site. O'Brien Wagner said that is a good argument for nice kiosk. MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by Cofer Evert, to recommend approval of the Riley-Jacques Farmstead Interpretive Plan based on the document prepared by Bluestem Heritage Group dated October 15, 2014 with the addition of the following priorities discussed: kiosk, additional remaining signs, path to the lake, HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 20, 2014 Page 6 developing an exhibit plan for the barn display, and building capacity by developing partnerships and identifying funding sources. Motion carried 5-0. Cofer Evert, Muehlberg, Hussen, Modeas, and Sweeney volunteered to serve on the kiosk sub-committee with BHG. O'Brien Wagner suggested including a Park and Rec representative as well. Creamer will ask Jay Lotthammer for a recommendation. O'Brien Wagner commended the work of the Interpretive Plan committee —they were great to work with. She has enjoyed working with the HPC as well. V. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. STUDENT REPORTS The student commissioners reported on homecoming and the status of their college plans. Hussen stated the high school marching band placed at regionals. B. UPDATE ON HISTORIC SITES —Creamer Creamer said she and Vogel recently met with the facilities and business services directors from the school district. They gave an overview of the HPC and historic preservation and left information with them to review. They discussed what has already been done at the Consolidated School, shared factual information from the cultural resource survey, and conveyed their interest in working with the school district on preserving the site. The facilities director showed pride in the district buildings, and he expressed the importance of preservation. No modifications have been done to the outside of the district office building. Any work done has been executed properly. They learned the district office has no plans to move, and they obtained information about the age of other buildings in the district. They talked about possible grant money the district could apply for if the building is designated as a historic site. The directors relayed changes they would like to make to facilitate accessibility to offices on the north side. The meeting went well but no decisions were made as that was not the purpose of the meeting. Information from the meeting will be taken to the district's director team for discussion. Creamer will schedule another meeting to follow up in a few weeks. Discussion ensued about local versus national designation of the Consolidated School. Creamer indicated specifics were not discussed at the meeting, only that we would like to partner with them in terms of preservation and want to see it designated at some point down the road. Cofer Evert asked where we are in the designation process. Creamer said some parts of the document written for designation needs updating,but we are very close. We do not need district approval but we would like to have it. Creamer stated today's facilities report indicated drain tile and a sump pump system were installed in the basement crawl space at DH last week. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 20, 2014 Page 7 C. ANNUAL CONFERENCE DEBRIEF—McGuire, Freiberg, Creamer McGuire stated she enjoyed the national conference immensely. Featured speakers included Garrison Keillor and Alan Page. The most interesting aspect of the conference for her was the visit to the Minnesota Historical Society archives. She read her response to the scholarship essay question. Freiberg said what he took away from his historic brewery tour was the different ways to preserve artifacts. We need to be open to the idea that not all historic properties will be preserved in their pure states. Dual usage can save structures which would otherwise be torn down. Creamer said the focus seemed geared more towards historical societies, museums, and artifact preservation. The curator of the Alexander Ramsey House shared creative ways to boost attendance and talked about how to make spaces an attractive place for all ages to gather. It was a good conference overall. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. WORK PLAN REVIEW Creamer distributed a list of heritage preservation sites in Eden Prairie and a document on historic contexts from Vogel. She requested HPC members prioritize three or four historic context projects we, as commissioners, would like to focus on in 2015. Discussion will occur next month as to how these fit into the work plan. She noted Council may have something to add at the January workshop. Cofer Evert questioned how these items will fit with what Vogel says we should be doing. The new terminology he used in a recent email is confusing. Creamer said she agrees and has relayed this to Vogel. Her understanding is our focus items,historically speaking, will relate to different sites. Olson explained historic context guidelines serve as a reference for site identification. Muehlberg clarified that"historic context" may be what we previously referred to as "historical significance". Freiberg said he feels the need for further explanation in layman's terms. Cofer Evert stated we need more straightforward direction on what to do and in what order. She wants the work plan to reflect what Vogel will do and what commissioners will do. Muehlberg said Vogel will educate us on the terminology. The purpose of the document is to give us a foundation for evaluating properties. Olson stated he wants commissioners to have a complete inventory of historic properties by March. McGuire mentioned reviving the historical photo display project at City Center. Cofer Evert has put a lot of time and effort into it already, and it fits the HPC's mission to promote and educate. Creamer said she was advised it should be included in the January presentation to Council. It was a Council directive and needs to be framed from that perspective. Discussion about funding and budgeting followed. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 20, 2014 Page 8 B. EDUCATION/TRAINING - Creamer Vogel will educate commissioners on historic contexts next month. C. COMMUNITY GARDENS AT RILEY-JACOUES FARMSTEAD Creamer stated she has not received any feedback regarding the HPC's comments from last month about moving a community garden to the Riley-Jacques site. She has requested information and will follow up on how it fits into the bigger interpretive plan. VII. NEW BUSINESS None. VIII. FYI ITEMS Cofer Evert announced a book-signing for the upcoming release of"One Stayed at Welcome". The book, although fiction, references Eden Prairie landmarks. The event will take place Sunday, November 2, 1:30-4 p.m. at the Cummins Grill House. Cofer Evert reported 2014 marks the 150t' anniversary of the Eden Prairie Cemetery. IX. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, November 17, 2014, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by McGuire, to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Muehlberg adjourned the meeting at 9:17 p.m.