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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 10/17/2016 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION & EDEN PRAIRIE HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOINT MEETING MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016 7:00 P.M., CUMMINS-GRILL HOUSE 13600 Pioneer Trail COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Olson (Chair), Tara Kalar (Vice Chair), Cindy Cofer Evert, Pamela Spera, Valerie Ross, Paul Thorp, Ed Muehlberg EPHS BOARD MEMBERS: Kathie Case (President), Valerie Ross (Vice President), Chris Honaas-Wildfang (Treasurer), Kati Simons (Secretary), Ann Higgins (Curator), Jeanne DeSanctis (CPG House Co-Chair), Katie Qualey (CPG House Co-Chair), Jill Hules (Board Member) 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 7:06 p.m. DeSanctis, Vogel, Muehlberg, and Student Representative Mason were absent. Introductions took place. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by Ross, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Spera moved, seconded by Ross, to approve the September 19, 2016 minutes. Motion carried 6-0. IV. CUMMINS HOUSE TOUR Case explained Santa will be on-site for 22 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. New this year are sleigh rides and designated nights for pets and kids with special needs. Over 4000 people attended during the holidays last year. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 17, 2016 Page 2 The wallpaper in the parlor has been removed and replaced with historic wallpaper purchased by the Eden Prairie Historical Society (EPHS). The stenciling in the dining room was done by making a copy of the original stencil owned by Maddie Cummins. A timeline of the home's history will be up for display in time for Santa. Case has been working with Creamer on a grant to get renovation projects done in the upper level of the house. Hules departed following a subsequent house tour. V. HISTORICAL SOCIETY UPDATES A. HERITAGE DAYS This item was discussed out of order following Item V. C. Higgins reported on Heritage Days held at the Dorenkemper House (DK) the first weekend in October. She encouraged the idea of keeping it the same day each year. Scheduling, along with a family archery activity being held nearby during the same time,helped boost attendance to over 100 people through the Dorenkemper house. Ginny Dorenkemper has many stories to tell and history to share. It is important to capture more of what she has to say while the opportunity is still available. Case said she misses Sunbonnet Day and recommends getting actors to portray members of the Dorenkemper, Riley, or Jacques families to tell stories about the properties. It is a fun way to bring education to the site. Creamer suggested involving Lindsey Danhauser from the Art Center from a creativity standpoint. Qualey asked the student representatives what events might draw young people to the site. Wolf agreed with Higgins music is a good idea. Gambino recommended an open mic night. Wolf suggested something similar in format to the theater department's coffeehouse event. The students agreed with Case that advertising an event at Cummins Grill (CG) via social media would be the best way to attract youth. Higgins said a similar event was done at the Smith Douglas More House (SMD),but it had to be suspended due to copyright issues with bands and music. The City is conducting further research into it. Sunbonnet Day also used to have a costume theme. Wolf said she would be interested in pursuing a performance of one of her music school's shows at an Eden Prairie historic site. Case also mentioned the possibility conducting a ghost walk at a cemetery. B. AUTUMN GATHERING Katie Qualey extended an invitation to Commissioners to a potluck to be held Saturday, November 5, at 6:00 p.m. at the Cummins Grill House (CG). RSVPs are being accepted by her or DeSanctis. C. OTHER HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 17, 2016 Page 3 Case said if owner Ann Schuster is amenable to having a timeline on permanent display at Rustica Bakery and Cafe of the three families who lived at SMD, she and Qualey would be willing to work on it and cover the cost of donating it. This idea is currently being investigated. Another project is to make progress in the museum in terms of cataloging artifacts with the help of some new software and taking inventory of everything at DK. Case would like to somehow incorporate DK into the program and have kids go there for an exploration day. They could make sure valuable items are put away and the kids are kept safe and admitted to the house in small groups. EPHS is willing to work with the HPC to make the house more usable. Cofer Evert said if the history hunt becomes an annual program, they could switch up the properties. Case suggested next year picking a date for an open house at one of the chosen sites (ie. Dorenkemper) to list on the passport stamp card. Olson asked for an update on the oral histories. Thorp specifically asked if Sever Peterson had been spoken to. Case said she believed he had been included. Higgins said they are in the process of transcribing interviews. Case mentioned there are old DVDs of Peterson to watch as well which can be accessed via the museum. VI. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION UPDATES A. 50th ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT HISTORY HUNT Kalar thanked Cofer Evert for her help with designing and producing the flier for the history hunt. Creamer said Schuster reported 18 completed cards have been redeemed so far. Cofer Evert said the program received good exposure in the Eden Prairie News. Information about the program was communicated electronically to parents of school-aged kids. Spera said many fliers were distributed at the City Wide Open House. Higgins said there were lots of inquiries at DK during the Heritage Days event. Creamer presented EPHS with a"Heritage Road" street sign. She reported the SDM house is no longer a Dunn Bros. The coffee shop has a new name as of October 11, 2016 —Rustica Bakery and Cafe. B. LEGACY GRANT UPDATE—CUMMINS UPSTAIRS AREA Creamer said she and Case worked on a grant for plans and specs for improvements to the upstairs of CG. After they receive funding for their initial grant, additional funds will be pursued. Case said the grant was due October 6, and they should receive an answer in six to eight weeks. C. OTHER HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 17, 2016 Page 4 Creamer reported the roof project at SDM is ongoing. The contract will go before Council for approval on October 18, 2016 with work expected to begin soon. Simons asked about variances in color. Creamer said the roof on the addition is not being replaced at this time. The original house roof will be replaced by cedar shingles, similar to what the roof currently has. The City received a capital grant for the project because it is a National Register-eligible site, and work on a National Register nomination is in process. Schuster had requested certain outdoor amenities, some of which have been approved and completed including installation of a bocce ball court and small lilac bushes have been planted in the front of the property for future privacy. Case inquired about certain trees on the property cut down in the last year and wanted to know if replacement trees will be planted. Creamer said she will inquire about the reason behind their removal and provide an update. Higgins said, in the past, the fire department was very concerned about the enlargement of SMD's parking lot and the fact people were still parking in the driveway. There was supposed to be a partnership with the neighboring funeral home and a sign directing people to additional parking, but that never happened. She is wondering if the fire department has approached the HPC with complaints. Creamer said the project was approved, and she isn't aware of any concerns. Creamer said Sticha reported the phone lines for the fire/life/safety equipment were inadvertently disconnected during the transition from Dunn Brothers to Rustica Bakery. They have been made operational again and work is under way to get them transferred to the City's police and dispatch system instead of an independent monitoring system. Prairie Bluffs senior living project is being proposed for the Sam Anderson property. Concerns have been raised regarding what will happen if something historical is discovered during excavation. A permit was taken out to demolish the house and silo. Former staff consultant, John Gertz, did photo documentation of the house in 1993 prior to demolition. Case said she is the one who pressed for information on this. Sam was one of the original Andersons to come to the area in the 1850s, and this was the last original Anderson house left. It was a shame it was torn down because much of the integrity remained, and the site and home interior were beautiful. Oftentimes old sites such as these had dumps. She wants excavators to be on the lookout and alert the HPC if something is found during construction of the Prairie Bluffs Senior Living project once it has received final approval. There is an ancient and majestic pine tree worth preserving as well. Higgins said the Planning Commission struggled over the draft of a heritage tree ordinance and passed it with much tribulation. It was not unanimous. Smaller parcels of land, as well as large parcels, could be affected. Case requested the white pine be brought to the City's attention. If something is discovered during excavation, she would like to be notified so representatives from EPHS can quickly come and look. Creamer said the project has not received final approval at this time. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 17, 2016 Page 5 VII. ADJOURN JOINT MEETING Olson thanked EPHS for their partnership and hospitality in hosting tonight's meeting. The joint meeting was adjourned meeting at 8:34 p.m. VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. MATERIAL SAMPLE FOR RESPITE CENTER - Creamer Creamer circulated a sample of siding proposed for use in the construction of a new Respite Center being built for True Friends (TF) at Glen Lake Children's Camp. TF originally recieved a waiver to use wood to fit in with the historic district,but the contractor has recommended LP SmartSide (LPSS) instead. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)has been in communication with Randy Boser of TF about the proposed woodpecker-resistant alternative and indicated the model grain needs to match the cedar sample provided. Thorp noted the smooth cedar sample shown is no longer available for purchase anymore. New cedar has a rougher surface. Spera said based on that, she could not make an accurate comparison. Thorp said he did not care for the sheen of the LPSS sample. It comes primed and then it would have to be painted with a non- high gloss finish paint or stain. Olson reported SHPO is fine with the substitution. TF claims the strand-based product will hold up better under camp conditions. SHPO has indicated LPSS is acceptable. Thorp said because the window trim must be painted, TF might as well use primed material for that and paint everything matte. Olson agreed a matte or flat paint would be fine if TF doesn't get the impression the same could applied to the dining hall or other historic buildings onsite. Cofer Evert stated she would rather match the buildings than the playground but thought the concept and graininess of the material was fine. Kalar agreed about matching the buildings but said the shininess makes the material look artificial. Olson said rather than desert sand, the paint color should match the kitchen or dining hall. Thorp explained the problem with pre-painted is having to match the caulk. MOTION: Kalar moved, seconded by Cofer Evert, to conditionally approve use of LP SmartSide primed siding for the new Respite Center at Glen Lake Children's Camp, to be painted with matte or flat paint or stain to match the dining hall. Motion carried 6-0. IX. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. ACTION PLAN REGARDING OVERLOOK SITE —Kalar/Creamer Creamer reported the Parks Department has indicated the new Overlook site and three proposed plaques are on their Work Plan for 2017. They have put money aside for this project and have also applied for a grant through the Fish and HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 17, 2016 Page 6 Wildlife Service in partnership with other agencies. Nothing new is known about the original Overlook site right now. Kalar said Thorp discovered the original site is outside of the Flying Cloud Airport's runway zone,but they still need to work with the Metropolitan Airports Commission and Bureau of Land Management for permission to access the site. She is not able to spend additional time on pursuing access now but Thorp may be able to go with small groups of people to remove materials. She requested Parks include the HPC as part of the planning process on the Work Plan so Commissioners can stay involved with the design elements. Creamer indicated Parks agreed the Commission would be included once they get the necessary funding. Kalar said she could provide maps outlining where property boundaries and runway zones lie. B. GRANT PROJECT SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING UPDATE - Spera Spera said several pictures were selected at the subcommittee's last meeting, and they reviewed the substance of some of the proposed text for the interpretive signs. They are not to the editing stage yet. Regardless of being factual, they did not care for the content focusing on the health of the lake as they felt it would have a negative effect. Cofer Evert agreed the topic was not fitting for the project. Spera said the City did not approve the content. The Department of Natural Resources already has information pertaining to water quality posted by the lake, and the state of it is constantly changing. Spera said additional photos are still being researched. Some were chosen conditionally. Ross said they are looking for originals as the resolution of some are not a high enough resolution for reproduction. X. FYI ITEMS XI. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, November 21, 2016, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. The 2017 Work Plan will be on the agenda. XII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by Thorp, to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. Chair Olson adjourned the meeting at 9:09 p.m.