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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 09/18/2017 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 7:00 P.M. MEETING CITY CENTER 8080 MITCHELL ROAD HPC COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Olson-Chair; Tara Kalar-Vice Chair; Pamela Spera; Valerie Ross; Paul Thorp; Meredith Anderson; Shanti Shah COMMISSION STAFF: Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary STUDENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: Caleb Miller; Inika Shetty; Neha Bhupatiraju; Alyssa Meiners GUEST SPEAKERS: Jason Staebell, PE, Sr. Project Manager- Design, Hennepin County Adam Kaeding, 106 Group I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Absent were commission members Anderson and Shah and student member Bhupatiraju. Kathie Case, president of the Eden Prairie Historical Society, Kati Simons, Eden Prairie Historical Society secretary, and Jean DeSanctis, Eden Prairie Historical Society member, also joined the meeting. A. INTRODUCTIONS Olson had the commission members introduce themselves and asked each student member to give their names and say a little about themselves. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Ross moved, seconded by Kalar to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Kalar moved, seconded by Thorp to approve the minutes with these corrections: the corrected meeting location, the correct spelling of Staebell's name, and the inclusion of a missing"and" on the first page. Motion carried 5-0. IV. PRESENTATION EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 18, 2017 Page 2 A. CSAH 61 FLYING CLOUD DRIVE PROJECT Creamer introduced Jason Staebell and Adam Kaeding, the guest speakers for the evening. Jason Staebell, Hennepin County Public Works and project manager, presented a PowerPoint on the project. The reconstruction involved both Eden Prairie and Chanhassen from Charleston Road to Highway 101, and involved many county and city organizations. hi 2009 MnDOT provided monies to update the corridor, which would be improved from a 3.7-mile-long two-lane undivided road to accommodate a projected 14,000 vehicles annually by 2035. The goals were to raise the road and build a land bridge to minimize transportation disruption by seasonal floods; to improve safety by replacing existing old pavement; to incorporate curb-and-gutter drainage systems; and to add a multi-use trail. Impacts on the river and the bluffs would be minimized. Environmental concerns included the existence of wetlands and prairie. Seeds were being collected to replant once the project was completed. Animals and reptiles would be able to cross beneath the bridge or escape the road if they wandered onto it. Phase I of the project would start in March, 2018 and be completed in December, 2019; Phase II would be completed in 2020. Adam Kaeding, from the 106 Group, displayed a box of artifacts and presented a PowerPoint on the archaeological collection and preservation of cultural artifacts. Glacial melting and draining of Lake Agassiz 16,000 years ago eventually created the Minnesota River, its valley, and the bluffs. The Minnesota River was larger and wider then than it is now and the soil now on dry land is very fertile. Due to this, wildlife and indigenous inhabitants used the area beginning about 10,000 years ago. Therefore, the river valley is full of culturally significant sites, and Kaeding worked with the Mdewakanton Sioux to identify these sites. He displayed a map of the sites. In this project, the archeology was an integral part of the project, which must conform to state and federal laws. Phase I would identify the sites using shovel tests and soil core samples. 19 sites were identified, nine of which may qualify for inclusion in the National Register. Phase 11 involved actual excavation and six of the nine sites qualified for inclusion in the National Register. Phase III involved the work to research the sites and put the artifacts in context, as well as larger archeological exposure of the site to reveal relationships between the objects and to uncover fire pits,post holes, etc. Creamer asked who made the National Register determination. Kaeding replied it was really a matter of meeting a level of significance and minimizing the impact of this project on those sites. The artifacts might not actually go on the National Register; that rarely happened, although some sites were listed on it. The Army Corps of Engineers, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the state archeologist would then review the sites and the research to ensure sufficient EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 18, 2017 Page 3 investigation was done and the correct questions asked. He allowed the commission members and students to examine the artifacts and said that over 5,000 items were found, mostly stone tools,but also some ceramics, which were more recent, and animal bones,beads, etc. He described the "features" found, which differed from artifacts in that they could not be removed—e.g., fire pits and other landscape objects. Case asked if any worship sites were found, and Kaeding replied none had been found, but a"jingle cone" had, which originated only after the army passed through native lands, approximately the 1860s. He also pointed out a bear bone in the case and explained they determined it had been chewed by rodents and burned in a fire, which could indicate a ritual context. Discussion followed on various items both in the case and found during the digs. Many of the finds indicated change in technology through time, and this also contributed to their significance. Surrounding rock could even be significant if they were transported, etc. Animal bones could be identified by species as seasonal food sources and/or items of trade. Ceramics helped estimate dates; the thicker the ceramic, the older it generally was; the ceramics found were deep, probably from 800 A.D. Also, residues from the ceramics could answer questions about the origin of the consumption of corn. Kaeding explained the items would be taken to the lab, cleaned, documented thoroughly for an academic volume, reside safely in climate-controlled spaces in the Minnesota Historical Society, and would hopefully result in an interpretive plan for the public and education for the schools in collaboration with the tribes,perhaps even a cultural center. Olson asked how the tribes responded to the effort, and Kaeding replied it was a good relationship due to their having consulted the tribal members early in the project. Kalar asked if there had been a tribal monitor present for the dig, and Kaeding replied there was one for the Phase III Upper Sioux work agreed upon by all four tribes. Kalar asked if there were suggestions for the commission, such as pursuing National Register designation. Kaeding did not suggest making such a recommendation, since many of the sites would be gone (making their listing so rare). Jean DeSanctis asked if these findings impacted the project, and Staebell replied it impacted the schedule only, not the proposed work done. Kaeding agreed. Case said it was a shame the site was going to be lost,but thanked Staebell and Kaeding for their work. Discussion followed on more of the findings. V. OLD BUSINESS VI. REPORTS OF STUDENTS VII. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 18, 2017 Page 4 A. TAKE AWAYS FROM THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ATTENDEES Kalar and Creamer summarized the sessions they attended and what they learned. B. SUBCOMMMITTEE UPDATES 1. DATA COLLECTION Thorp announced he and Shanti had completed the data collection spreadsheet. There were three levels of priority: 1) historical asset on a city-owned property; 2)historical asset on a non-city-owned property; 3) assets that were gone. No assets were removed;properties that were lost were marked as lost. All properties had a file at the Minnesota Historical Society. 2. GEOCACHEXALL EVENT Kalar announced the Parks and Recreation Department were already holding a geocache event, so she and Anderson met and discussed three other possibilities. The first was a video contest or a"history film fest," in which each participant told a memory or interviewed a resident with a memory, and submitted it by a deadline. The commission could hold an award ceremony with a screening, perhaps at Staring Lake or in a school. The second was to partner with Lions Tap or another business for a history trivia happy hour, with prizes solicited from community businesses. The third, which was not strictly an event, was to form a community action group for the Overlook from among the dozen or so people who have contacted Kalar with concern on this project. Discussion followed on the video contest concept. Shetty expressed approval of the concept. Spera suggested it was also possible to partner with a local theater group, e.g., to put on a one-act play, etc. Miller expressed reservations about having a short, one-night event at a business like Lions Tap, which may not be familiar to residents. He also expressed approval of the video contest idea. Creamer asked Kalar for a written summary of the concept and an estimated budget for it. Ross urged Kalar to set appropriate parameters for the video (involving past rather than recent history, and having a connection to the city of Eden Prairie) and Kalar agreed. Creamer asked if the content, being a form of oral history, would be preserved, and Olson suggested it should. 3. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 18, 2017 Page 5 Kalar stated her above ideas were tied into this, since working with the schools and/or developing curricula was not going to work for the commission at this time. VIII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY Ross introduced herself to the student members as the Vice-President of the Society and summarized the Society's work and its museum holdings. An upcoming event was the Ghost Walk on October 21, 2017, which featured the actual stories of the pioneers of Eden Prairie. This year, it is going to be held in both Eden Prairie cemeteries with a trolley traveling between them, as well as at the Cummins House. The Eden Prairie Players will be portraying the early pioneers. Admission is $5.00 for members, $10.00 for nonmembers, with trolley reservation priority given to members. Members could RSVP to cumminshse@edenprairiehistory org . Ross also offered membership forms for those who may wish to become members. Ross also announced the next HPC meeting would be a joint meeting with the Eden Prairie Historical Society on October 16, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. at the Cummins House. The Eden Prairie Historical Society would have its board meeting at 6:00 p.m. Discussion followed on the possibility of bringing/ordering food for the meeting. IX. NEW BUSINESS X. ONGOING TRAINING Olson briefly explained for the benefit of the student members there was an online manual the commission members were stepping through,but would be tabled for tonight. XI. FYI ITEMS XII. NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held Monday, October 16, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. (note location change) at Cummins Grill House, 13600 Pioneer Trail. XIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Kalar to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:06 p.m.