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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 03/19/2018 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2018 7:00 P.M. CITY CENTER 8080 MITCHELL RD HPC COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Olson-Chair; Tara Kalar-Vice Chair; Pamela Spera; Valerie Ross; Paul Thorp; Meredith Anderson; Shanti Shah STUDENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: Caleb Miller; Inika Shetty; Neha Bhupatiraju; Alyssa Meiners COMMISSION STAFF: Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Vice-Chair Kalar called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Absent were commission members Anderson, Olson and Ross, and student member Miller. Student Jake Jakusz and Norm Rogers of the Eden Prairie Historical Society joined the meeting. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Shah to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Shah moved, seconded by Spera to approve the amended minutes with the corrected spelling of Mary Krugerud's name. Motion carried 4-0. IV. REPORTS OF STUDENTS V. OLD BUSINESS A. STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES WEBSITE RESEARCH PROJECT Shetty, Meiners and Bhupatiraju presented their comparison of different historic online resources with the Eden Prairie Historic Preservation website. The commission's website appears first under a search for"Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation" which was not the case for other cities' preservation commissions. The Eden Prairie HPC also listed accomplishments and awards in addition to EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 19, 2018 Page 2 staff/commission members' names and meeting dates, whereas other sites did not. The Shakopee Historical Society site did a better job of including historical photographs. Hopkins' history section included a lot of information and statistics in graphic form, large text, and photographs. The text and font was eye-catching and easy to read. The site also displayed history on each historic building. The "Cultivate Hopkins" video displayed the future goals for the city. Edina utilized icons as links, and had a"heroes" homepage to highlight historic and modern notable citizens. St. Paul's site also used eye-catching links and included a context studies tab similar to Eden Prairie's interactive map, but perhaps the map could be made more appealing and easier to find. Wayzata's site included a logo with a motto which could be a model for this commission. Conclusions: more graphics and photos, such as a graphic timeline, intuitive links, icons, user-friendly fonts and text size would improve the visual appeal of the Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Commission website. Kalar asked if the content on the site was sufficient and Bhupatiraju replied the content was well done but needed better presentation; it was often buried. Creamer agreed the interactive map did not include all historic resources. Discussion followed on how to organize the website around story and the use of icons. Kalar suggested a 360-degree tour of each historic site,perhaps utilizing Olson's laser-scan technology. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. TOWN OF HENNEPIN ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT-Thorp Thorp presented several maps and displayed a document he had found online: an act by the legislature of the Minnesota enacting a road between Yorkville and the town of Bloomington. This corresponded to the email Thorp read at the last meeting detailing evidence of a road that was originally part of the Yorkville- Bloomington Road, a legislative state road begun in 1863. His mathematical data (coordinate points) and a 1945 aerial photograph also indicated a road. The contour map with a one-foot contour indicated a flat place at the location of this road that disrupted these natural intervals. Kalar received confirmation this did not disprove the archeologist's conclusions. The wagon shop showed up on the 1953 plat; the road was built in 1863. However, it was Thorp's contention that the road was built on the existing wagon trail, namely the Ox Cart Trail. Thorp stated Yorkville was a ghost town the location of which had not been precisely located by the Minnesota Historical Society. Thorp determined it was within the present city of Chaska and displayed its local on a map. It was eventually incorporated into Chaska. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 19, 2018 Page 3 Creamer replied the consultant wrote up the nomination for the existing segment but it could incorporate more land. She did speak with the Parks and Recreation Director about invasive plant mitigation, and was waiting for a reply. B. UPDATE ON NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION FOR SMITH DOUGLAS MORE HOUSE Creamer stated the consultants were working on the Criterion A option and received feedback from SHPO that a different criterion may be preferable. Subsequent revisions received more feedback and it was unclear what the next steps would be. If the site was not designated it would no longer be eligible to apply for grants, so Creamer wanted to weigh options; if the nomination was not pursued at this time the site could still be eligible for grants. Kalar noted the documentation from the nomination process was valuable on its own. Creamer would update the commission members on the outcome of broader city staff meeting. UPDATE ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT Shah passed around a document with scope, sample question prompts and a timeline, and summarized the goal: to present a 3-5 minute video at the August Movie Nights sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department. Creamer agreed to communicate with that department and find out what kind of waiver is needed. Kalar requested the questions be finalized. Discussion followed on logistics and the delegation of specific tasks. HERITAGE PRESERVATION AWARD NOMINATIONS Creamer displayed the award categories and stated nominations were open and due April 13, 2018. The winner would be invited to the May 15 City Council meeting. She encouraged commission members to submit nominations. VII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY A. ANNUAL MEETING—APRIL 12, 2018 Creamer announced Adam Keating from 106 Group would present the artifacts at the annual meeting. She invited commission members to attend and learn about volunteer opportunities with the Historical Society. B. GLEN LAKE CHILDREN'S CAMP EVENT—MAY 10 Creamer stated the commission members are invited to contact Kathie Case with RSVPs. There would be food, free sodas and a cash beer and wine bar. Author EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION March 19, 2018 Page 4 Mary Krugerud would also speak and the memorial stone monument would be cleaned for the event. Kalar presented her poster concept. VIII. ONGOING TRAINING IX. NEW BUSINESS X. FYI ITEMS A. COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS 2018 Creamer congratulated Kalar, Olson, and Thorp on their reappointments to the commission. Richard Smith was appointed to serve the remaining two-year commitment of Meredith Anderson, who resigned her seat, and would be starting in April. B. SAVE THE DATE— THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018 AT 6:00 P.M.—BOARDS AND COMMISSION BANQUET Creamer reminded the commission members of the banquet date. XI. NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held Monday, April 16, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. in either Prairie Rooms A & B or tentatively at an alternative site, either the school gymnasium or the Mdewakanton Sioux Museum. XII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Shah moved, seconded by Spera to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 p.m.