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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 02/23/2015 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2015 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 I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Muehlberg called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Commissioner Cofer Evert and Student Representative Hussen were absent. Spera arrived at 7:05 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Creamer added Item V.D. CUMMINS GRILL LANDSCAPE PLAN UPDATE to the agenda. MOTION: Freiberg moved, seconded by Olson, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by Freiberg, to approve the January 12, 2015 minutes. Motion carried 4-0-1 with Paulson abstaining. IV. REPORTS OF STUDENT COMMISSION MEMBERS Modeas reported both he and Sweeney qualified for State in personal financial literacy in a recent DECA marketing competition. Sweeney took first place in both categories in which she participated. They are preparing for the next competition in March. They discussed details and logistics of the competition. Spera arrived at 7:05 pm. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2015 Page 2 V. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT ON KIOSK PROGRESS Creamer shared a recap she received from Bluestem Heritage Group (BHG) of the kiosk subcommittee's January meeting. A kiosk drawing has been sent to an architect. Materials are budget-dependent,but higher quality materials are preferred. They are awaiting pricing for materials and labor as well as working on obtaining design approval from Park and Rec. A decision needs to be made on how to handle the additional funds being contributed by Park and Rec. The original CLG contract is for$27,000. A separate second contract may be necessary for the extra money. Research drafting for sign content has begun and will be ready by early March. Kathie Case has agreed to be advisor on that portion of the project. Muehlberg noted the architectural designs did not copy well; therefore, the images do not clearly depict the rain garden feature. B. DEBRIEF OF COUNCIL WORKSHOP—Muehlberg Muehlberg said the presentation to Council went well. The Council is pleased time is being spent on the inventory. Creamer said they want the new signs at Riley Jacques (RJ) added to the website. They also indicated they would like to see the historic books be put online. Discussion followed about the practicality and feasibility of doing this. Council additionally wants to make sure we are considering early Eden Prairie neighborhoods in terms of heritage preservation. C. CLG GRANT UPDATE - Creamer A CLG grant pre-application was submitted for the eleven additional signs identified in the RJ interpretive plan. Feedback received will be addressed in the final application due March 6. Creamer thanked McGuire for contacting the Eden Prairie Community Foundation regarding grants. Creamer met with the executive director and then put together and submitted a grant. The amount requested was $3500 for one sign based on BHG estimates. They also discussed other opportunities to work together. Vogel confirmed these funds, if awarded, can be used towards the required match for the CLG grant. D. CUMMINS GRILL LANDSCAPE PLAN UPDATE - Creamer Orchard trees were planted according to the landscape plan in the fall of 2014. Plantings consist of shade, nut,plum, and apple trees. Freiberg noted they are fast-growing trees. Olson asked if there are other items still needing to be addressed to complete the plan. Creamer said the planting of the trees was the final step in completing the plan;however, feasibility of a vegetable garden is under consideration in terms of maintenance and the produce it would yield. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2015 Page 3 Paulson inquired about the peony gardens. Creamer said they have been replenished as needed. Muehlberg said they were to remain on-site but needed maintenance and redefinition. He asked if the establishment of native grasses was on track. Creamer said she will get an update on both the peony gardens and prairie grasses and report back. Freiberg said the Christmas event at Cummins Grill was very successful. The Optimists Club increased sales this year with the relocation of their tree lot to the property. There are plans to repeat the event next year. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. HERITAGE PRESERVATION MONTH AWARD - Creamer Creamer has gathered information about the Human Rights and Diversity Commission awards nomination process and plaque-ordering. She asked commissioners for procedural suggestions since this is the first year the Commission will be giving an award for Heritage Preservation Month. Olson asked if the award could be given to a preservation advocate in Eden Prairie or if it should be designated specifically for a steward of a property. Vogel stated it should be a property steward. McGuire suggested posting a request on the website for informal letters of nomination to keep things simple. Spera pointed out the short timetable but stated not opening it to the public could create problems. Freiberg agreed the window was tight and said a more formal process is feasible next year. In fairness, nominations ought to be open to the public for at least an abbreviated period of time. Muehlberg agreed the public should have an opportunity to submit informal nominations. Paulson suggested having the HPC nominate somebody this year in the interest of expediting the process. Publicizing the nomination will grab people's attention and promote it for next year. Discussion followed about the timeline and selection process. Creamer asked for wording ideas for the website. Sweeney inquired about criteria for nominees. Potential criteria language was discussed. Vogel said it is important to make sure the resource in question is located in Eden Prairie and to give only one award. Commissioners brainstormed possible nominees. McGuire suggested sending a press release recognizing the winner to local media outlets. Creamer said she would ask Communications to help her draft something for the website. Spera suggested consulting City code to see if there are any rules governing the granting of awards and checking websites of other cities to see what they say about their preservation awards processes. Vogel said basically we want to use more generic language while keeping it within the community. Creamer said she will send a draft to commissioners regarding informal nominations for the website. Nominations will be due by the March HPC meeting. The award recipient will be publicized. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2015 Page 4 B. CONSULTANT WORK PLAN PROGRESS 1. Status of Dorenkemper Site Nomination Vogel discussed the process and differences between local designation and the National Register. He has been sorting through information about the Dorenkemper Site (DK) generated by the City and other entities and is finding much of it to be fragmented, redundant, and murky which has created some challenges for making a case for significance, integrity, and preservation value. Changes to the property were not always properly documented making it difficult to determine what is authentic and what was added later. This is problematic because the report needs to be authoritative. Vogel has yet to locate critical documents explaining how the City came to own the house and what has been done to it. To qualify, a site must be significant but also retain integrity. A developer originally discovered the house and paid to have it moved in 2002 to its current location. Moved properties lose integrity. The City later had the home restored to the early 20th century. Although it would be helpful to have documentation as to how this decision was made, we are fortunate to have Ginny Dorenkemper as a resource. An additional complicating factor is the insertion of the home into the RJ Farmstead, thereby compromising the integrity of yet another historic site. Some sort of boundary needs to be created for DK so it and RJ can be managed as two distinctly separate historic resources. Doing so will make it easier to address proposals to modify RJ. This could be accomplished in the form of a separate legal parcel or by indicating boundaries on a piece of paper and plotting them with GPS. The latter would be adequate in this case. A conservative, stable management framework will also facilitate maintenance. Vogel expects to have a draft ready no later than April. A two-month, state-mandated break is required before Council can take action, so the earliest designation could occur is this summer. The Commission might want to think about forwarding it to Council in May for Heritage Preservation month. Vogel noted the use of a site purely for interpretive purposes to tell a story is a tough use for preservation. Creamer said the RJ Farmstead interpretive plan already deemed the home not large enough for school groups. Vogel stated sites in active use are the ones to get protected. Sites are vulnerable during restoration or when they sit unused. DK will have a much better prognosis if we can find a use for it. The notes Vogel found for the DK management plan lack specificity. The RJ plan is also not detailed enough. The Commission should give thought as to how the RJ house and grounds will be used. The best scenario is to use buildings for what they were originally built. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2015 Page 5 Muehlberg departed at 8:17 p.m. 2. Property Inventory Update Vogel explained he has provided commissioners with a list of nine properties in Eden Prairie identified as heritage preservation sites and has physically located all the documents produced to create those sites. It was significantly more work than anticipated. The information was not readily accessible. As far as the inventory is concerned, there are gaps in the documentation. There was a batch of records dating back to 1997 and then a 15-year gap before more were created. The most recent ones have a different structure than the older ones. Creamer pointed out we have been working with the same consulting company all along. Vogel stated the questions were different back in 1997 than they are now. Creamer said it seems we are reinventing the wheel and should not have to be doing so. Vogel replied it is not necessary to do so,but we do need to know what we are protecting and why. That information should be clear in the reports. Besides the registry of nine landmarks, draft reports are prepared for another nine or so properties determined eligible but not nominated. It is unclear why the paperwork was completed but the designations never happened. The Eden Prairie Cemetery Association previously objected to designation. It is unknown why but would be worthwhile to ask again. Freiberg asked how we move these forward. Vogel said only the HPC can nominate, and only the Council can designate. Recent photographs and accurate maps are needed. Sweeney asked for clarification on the specific steps needed to accomplish this. Vogel explained the HPC determines if a site is eligible. If so, it issues a finding of significance or determination of eligibility in the National Register system and directs staff to prepare a report. The report is forwarded to Council and a public hearing is held. Olson stated we do not have the list of eligible properties. He also asked about the status of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) inventory of identified properties discussed last fall. Vogel said it will take awhile to do the inventory. The information is outdated and some properties probably no longer exist. He recommended breaking the list into batches, taking new pictures, and creating new inventory records. We should start a list of the ones we are unsure are worthy of preservation until further information can be gathered. Freiberg asked about the timeline for the nine eligible properties and voiced frustration over not knowing how to move forward. Vogel said federal funds were used over the years to pay his consulting firm to prepare them. He is surprised they never moved forward. Spera asked what the finding of significance is based upon. Vogel explained the property must meet one of the following criteria outlined in HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2015 Page 6 the ordinance: association with historic events, association with important historic people, design characteristics, or information value. It must also have integrity and be authentic. Spera asked if the fact DK was moved was a deal breaker for designation because it lacked integrity. Vogel said no. Olson asked for an update on the scanning of the SHPO records. Vogel said that has been done, but SHPO won't give us the digital copy for some reason. When Olson pressed the issue, Vogel stated SHPO has indicated they do not have the ability to do so. We need to copy the Eden Prairie files, many of which are old and incomplete, on-site and bring them back here. He has been unable to locate the set former consultant Gertz had. Creamer expressed frustration over having to pay twice to have the same work done. Olson said Vogel stressed the importance of getting this work done and now we are moving forward without the whole inventory. Vogel responded the inventory would always be a work in progress because new history is being created all the time. Creamer said Vogel's direction last fall was to start with the inventory. Vogel said years of work has been invested in evaluation and nomination. The information is already there and ready to go. Sweeney asked how we prioritize. Olson elaborated we do not know how the list of eligible properties was selected. Vogel said HPC predecessors selected them and reports were compiled but not acted on. We need to see how ready they are to move forward. Creamer said when previously asked what we could do to get certain tasks accomplished Vogel stated much of it had to be done by him as he had the necessary professional expertise. Our role is very unclear. Vogel said we start by seeing if the inventory properties still exist. Spera also asked for information on how the eligible properties were selected. Vogel said he could give us the reports. Spera suggested we start by reviewing the research already completed and paid for. Vogel said we should have the ability to find and read the paper designation studies or online versions of them for the nine previously- designated properties. Sweeney asked where to find these. Vogel said it took him five months to locate them and he still isn't sure we have the final version for one. John Gertz kept the documents in paper form in his office. The ones Pathfinder did were kept in paper and digital form in his office and we can have those. Freiberg asked for the list of eligible properties by next meeting. Vogel explained some are very lengthy. Olson and Creamer agreed we need to get the current status of those properties and move forward as best we can. Vogel explained the nomination process takes about six months. We should involve the owners, especially in the management planning HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2015 Page 7 aspects. Creamer said we cannot do that without knowing the properties. Olson said we do not know who to talk to yet. Vogel said he tried to capture the same categorical information for the eligible properties as was done for the ones already designated. We have to find any missing information. Creamer reiterated we need to get the list of properties from Vogel before we can do that. Vogel recommended reissuing the findings of significance rather than trying to look for the actual records. Some have obvious problems. Creamer said we are not able to make that determination until we have the list. We have to get the list so we have a place to start. She inquired if the records are digital. Vogel said if they are he does not know where to find them. McGuire asked if it would be worth the time and money to convert the records to an electronic format. Vogel said he thought so. Sweeney once again asked for clarification on what is involved in making sure the nominations are ready to go. Vogel said the ordinance dictates what should go into the report and then the HPC decides how to treat them. Creamer repeated we cannot move forward unless we are aware of the properties in question. Vogel said Gertz indicated all his files were in his former office at City Center. Olson requested Vogel turn the paperwork over to Creamer for the previously designated and designation-eligible properties. Vogel said he could do so by Wednesday of this week. He suggested ranking them in the order we want to process them and said to consider what aspect of Eden Prairie history they reflect. The ones already designated primarily deal with agriculture but we have an obligation to preserve something from everyone's history. Olson readdressed the roadblock to obtaining the SHPO records. Vogel said the SHPO records were created one at a time and some have never been looked at. The City had the SHPO records in 1997, took pictures of the properties and sorted them. It needs to be done again and we need to eliminate the non-existent ones. We need to locate the properties we cannot find. Scanning and posting them will make it easier. Spera suggested we start with the easiest ones and work our way to the more difficult ones. 3. Next Steps/Timelines/Questions Olson said to recap, Vogel will send records for designated and designation-eligible properties to Creamer by Wednesday. The HPC can expect the DK nomination paperwork from Vogel in time to send it to Council in May if it decides to move forward with the designation process. Vogel said the work plan includes consideration of the Smith Douglas More House for National Register nomination. We need to think about the potential benefits and seek funds to take the next step if that is what we HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES February 23, 2015 Page 8 decide. The process takes about a year. The Commission should also be doing active surveying. Vogel recommended a couple publications which are good references for historic preservation. VII. NEW BUSINESS None. VIII. FYI ITEMS A. COMMISSION INTERVIEWS - Creamer Olson plans to renew his term. McGuire and Paulson will not be renewing. Candidate interviews will take place Tuesday, February 24 at 6:25 p.m. IX. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, March 16, 2015, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by Paulson, to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. Acting Chair Olson adjourned the meeting at 8:56 p.m.