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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 09/19/2016 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2016 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Prairie Rooms A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Olson (Chair), Tara Kalar (Vice Chair), Cindy Cofer Evert, Pamela Spera, Valerie Ross, Paul Thorp, Ed Muehlberg STAFF: Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Robert Vogel, Pathfinder CRM, LLC Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Sienna Gambino, Alyssa Meiners, Carolyn Mason, Taylor Wolf I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. Vogel, Muehlberg, and Student Representative Mason were absent. II. WELCOME STUDENTS Students started their term tonight. Introductions took place. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Creamer added Items VII. B. and VII. C. to the agenda. MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by Kalar, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 6-0. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Ross moved, seconded by Kalar, to approve the August 15, 2016 minutes. Motion carried 5-0-1 with Cofer Evert abstaining. V. TRAINING SESSION— CHAPTER 1 A. NEWLY DEVELOPED STATEWIDE TRAINING MANUAL Creamer said the printed training manual is a more in-depth supplement to the online version. The Commission will review it as needed to refresh and to use it as a reference to apply to projects as they come up. She walked Commissioners HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 19, 2016 Page 2 through the online manual which is being hosted on the City of Stillwater's website. Creamer said the first module focuses on "Why are We Here". She explained the HPC's overall purpose is to protect historic resources within the City. Olson explained the Eden Prairie's Certified Local Government status makes the HPC eligible for certain grants. Cofer Evert identified the City's historic resources for the new Student Commissioners. Creamer explained how the training manual was a collaborative effort of the cities of Stillwater, Mankato and Eden Prairie through a Heritage Partnership Grant. Creamer went through chapter 1 which covered the following: the purpose of HPCs; explanations of what preservation and historic properties are; roles of the Commission and Commissioners; reasons for and goals of preservation; private organizations, local ordinances and actions, and state and federal level actions involved in the early steps of preservation;benefits of preservation; state and local programs as well as other potential incentives of preservations; additional resources for more information; and federal preservation activity. Commissioners were encouraged to review the printed manual and the online modules on their own. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. REVIEW REVISED PLANS/MATERIALS FOR RESPITE CENTER AT GLEN LAKE CHILDREN'S CAMP Creamer explained True Friends is asking to use alternative building materials in the new Respite Center to what was originally approved. Kalar guided Commissioners to the section in the Statewide Training Manual referring to materials. Spera said she felt we need to refer to an expert. It is difficult to make a determination given the conflicting information on wood and composite. Cofer Evert pointed out True Friends is not making changes to an existing building but rather starting from scratch. Olson said it would be different if they were replacing a door in the dining hall, for example, and needed to use wood. Kalar advised proceeding with caution. Approval may open the door to assumption similar materials can be used in other buildings without having to go through the HPC. Creamer said True Friends has not provided any color samples or materials to date. At this point all the HPC can do is provide feedback. They already received a waiver away from the City Code for recommended materials in order to use wood. Thorp said he has cedar on his home and it is difficult to maintain because of damage from woodpeckers. Ross asked if it is approved, can it be with the caveat it is only ok for a non-historic building, and similar changes are not permitted in other buildings. Creamer said that is an option. Cofer Evert agreed that should be done. Thorp said his initial impression of the new proposed materials is favorable. Kalar said she wants to see what they look like and be informed if there is a cost savings, and where they plan to use the new materials. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 19, 2016 Page 3 Creamer said it still needs to go through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Planning, and the City Council. There is no enough information to move forward at this time. VII. OLD BUSINESS A. UPDATE ON TOWN OF HENNEPIN AND MURPHY'S FERRY RESEARCH—Thorp/Olson Thorp said he and Olson met with David Mather at the Minnesota Historical Society. Olson said Mather seemed excited about his recommendation to pursue a small legacy grant for further research. Thorp gave a brief background on steamboat transportation from Fort Snelling to the Town of Hennepin and on Murphy's Ferry which once operated between Eden Prairie and Shakopee. They are two separate projects. A grant would be for a Phase 1 archaeology research project. There are also remains in the area of an 1840s oxcart trail from Winnipeg, Canada to St. Paul. Kalar, Ross, and Thorpe all shared additional history of the site for the benefit of the new students. Thorp said he met with Scott County and Three Rivers Park District about the Shakopee side of Murphy's Ferry but not much progress was made. Olson said he is hoping Creamer can round up proposals of other archaeological projects to use as a guideline for a grant application. Ross asked what the grant would cover. Thorpe said it would be for a Phase 1 project to see if further research or a possible dig would be warranted. Olson stated Mather was impressed with the work done by Thorpe to date. Creamer inquired about the grant timeline. Olson said they are hoping to get some samples by next month to examine in terms of scope and then go to the site with Mather and potential consultants in the spring to find out what they can get done for $10,000. VIII. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. ACTION PLAN REGARDING OVERLOOK SITE —Kalar Kalar said she is still working on an action plan for the Overlook Site. Thorp asked for an update from Parks and Rec on their plans for the Overlook. Creamer indicated last she checked, there was no new information to report. Kalar asked for a meeting to be set up with Parks and Rec before next month's HPC meeting. She and Thorp would like to attend. Creamer said she will work on scheduling a meeting. B. GRANT PROJECT SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING UPDATE - Spera Spera said the subcommittee has met twice. Research has been done, and the subcommittee has provided input on text and pictures. Bluestem Heritage Group HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 19, 2016 Page 4 is in the process of locating additional pictures. There has been no editing of the text yet,just input on the content. C. SMITH DOUGLAS MORE HOUSE PROJECT UDPATE—Creamer Creamer stated a public notice was posted in the September 15 newspaper to solicit bids from contractors for the roof project. Bids are due October 6. Facilities staff is confident work will be completed this fall. The chair rails have been installed and look very nice. D. 50"ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT COMMITTEE UPDATE— Kalar/Evert/Ross Kalar presented a proposal to set up a passport via a postcard format to visit and get a stamp at three historic properties. Completed cards could then be redeemed for$5 of food or beverage at Dunn Brothers. Cards can be made available for pick-up at various locations and events around town such as City Center, the Community Center, the Senior Center, Dunn Brothers, Heritage Days, and the Citywide Open House. An article in the paper could promote the program as well as the City's website and Dunn Brothers' social media site. Kalar stated the instructions would be on the card or posted near the cards at pick- up sites. There would be a spot on the back for three passport stamps. Communications could coordinate a professionally-designed piece. The stamps could be set up similar to a geocache and be hidden or be more family-friendly and visible. The event would be a collaborative effort between the Smith Douglas More House leaser and the City of Eden Prairie through the HPC, and it would appeal to a broad range of people. She offered to cover half of the cost of the coupon and said Kalar's estimate of 200 coupons being redeemed was reasonable. Kalar proposed a generous budget up front allowing $2,000 for 800 coupons to be redeemed at$2.50 per coupon. Doing so will prevent having to continually go back and ask for increases should more than 200 be redeemed. Ross asked which historic sites would be featured on the passport. Kalar said her initial thought was Staring Lake Outdoor Center, Frederick Miller Spring (FMS), and Riley Jacques Barn, but she is open to other suggestions. Cards would be available for pick-up on-site at the Fall Harvest Celebration. Cofer Evert said due to the busy road and minimal parking she did not think FMS would be a good location. Cummins Grill would be better. She likes the idea and asked about partnering with the elementary schools to get the word out to students. She also recommended a bigger postcard of at least six by nine inches. She has access to a wholesale printer if they can't be printed in-house. Kalar said the amount of money budgeted will dictate how many can be printed. Spera asked for information on the time frame. Kalar said Schuster indicated October 1 through the end of the calendar year was a reasonable amount of time. Cofer Evert said the coupon should be limited to one per customer. Discussion HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 19, 2016 Page 5 ensued on how to store stamping materials to keep them dry and safe from removal. Kalar said she would like to create a hashtag where people could share their favorite Eden Prairie memory on Instagram or Facebook and then do an article on why old places matter with a follow-up article on why Eden Prairie matters. Cofer Evert suggested tying it to a prize. Gambino said Snapchat is popular with her generation. Wolf agreed saying live stories are more current than hashtags. Cofer Evert said the stamp should be placed by a plaque to encourage visitors to read about the site. MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by Spera, to approve spending funds of up to $2500 from the street sign sale profits on the development of the historic site passports and coupon redemption. Motion carried 5-0. Cofer Evert volunteered to get printing quotes. Kalar said she will send a draft to Cofer Evert for text review. E. ANNUAL STATEWIDE CONFERENCE TAKE AWAYS — Kalar/Olson Kalar said there was a great keynote speaker at the conference who spoke about why old places matter. She listed some of the things he mentioned and noted they were not the standard reasons associated with historic preservation. Creamer said they were more along the lines of memories and emotional and creativity reasons. Kalar mentioned another idea she came away with was to underwrite school tours to historic places for promotional purposes. That is another possible use of profits from the street sign fundraiser. She attended a session on historic bridges and found the presentation on the Hastings bridge project in conjunction with an archaeological dig interesting as it was tied to human events and didn't just address the soil. VII. FYI ITEMS A. CITYWIDE OPEN HOUSE Thorp and Spera volunteered to work at the Citywide Open House occurring Saturday, October 8, 11 a.m. —2 p.m. The historic site passports will be distributed at the event along with street sign fundraiser information. B. STREET SIGN FUNDRAISER UPDATE Creamer announced she received an inquiry from Southwest Magazine to promote the street sign fundraiser in the December gift guide. Net profits to date are around $5500. The next round of signs will be available late this year or early next year. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES September 19, 2016 Page 6 Cofer Evert suggested mentioning the magazine promotion to the City to see if it can expedite replacing the next batch of street signs. Olson inquired if signs would be available at the open house. Upon discussion it was decided to have a few samples for display and to take orders at the event but not fill them that day. Discussion ensued about other items to have available for sale during the open house. Ross said Eden Prairie Historical Society members would help. C. FALL HARVEST CELEBRATION This event will take place Saturday, October 1, 2-5 p.m. at Riley-Jacques Farmstead. VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be a joint meeting with the Eden Prairie Historical Society on Monday, October 17, 2016, 7 p.m. at the Cummins Grill House. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Cofer Evert, to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Olson adjourned the meeting at 8:58 p.m.