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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 02/25/2019 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019 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; Richard Smith; Shanti Shah STUDENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: Joe Pesheck; Neha Bhupatiraju; Sydney Lewis COMMISSION STAFF: Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Absent were commission members Kalar and Smith and student representatives Pesheck, Bhupatiraju and Lewis. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Shah moved, seconded by Ross to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Ross to approve the minutes of the meeting held January 22, 2019 with the substitution of"received" for"gotten" on page three. Motion carried 3-0 with one abstention (Shah). IV. NEW BUSINESS A. HERITAGE PRESERVATION AWARDS Creamer announced the commission would meet the night of the awards: May 21, 2019, after the ceremony. The commission would decide on the winners at the April 15, 2019 meeting. Creamer offered to update the form and upload it to the website. She asked for nomination ideas. Shah asked for and received confirmation there was a list of previous winners on the website. [Spera arrived at 7:12 p.m.] B. PEOPLEFEST—BRAINSTORMING SESSION EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2019 Page 2 Shah announced the Peoplefest Steering committee met and would hold events August 4-14, 2019 with at least one event every day, and perhaps multiple events being held. The library would feature a Somalian author-speaker. Other ideas were cooking demonstrations, a Salsa dance on Thursday, August 8 and the movie "Black Panther" being shown on Friday, August 9. Shah suggested using the HPC's history film clip. The large celebration would take place Sunday, August 11 in Staring Lake Park, with food trucks and entertainment. Feedback from the first event in 2018 called for more entertainment and crafts to buy. Having vendors was suggested,but Shah stated this was only the second year for the festival and it seemed too ambitious a goal at this time. She added the India Association of Minnesota hosted a celebration at the State Capital every year, and it will be held on August 10 in 2019. Shah would work with Mark Weber, executive director of the Eden Prairie Community Foundation, on the idea of a"field trip" to the celebration. Other ideas included a week-long summer camp (K-6th grade), August 4-14, 2019. Other events were still being fine-tuned by the Human Rights and Diversity Commission and staff liaison Megan Yerks, and they were trying to decide if it was best to combine the author event with the regular Monday night book club, or to make it a separate event. They were also working with Kathy Case to incorporate the Cummins Phipps Grill House. Thorp asked when the Historical Society and/or the HPC would have a booth. Shah replied it would be Sunday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Inspired by the "field trip" concept, Olson suggested producing a map of historic sites in Eden Prairie, and residents could visit them whenever they wanted. Creamer urged not overcommitting to this event, and suggested resuming something like the "History Hunt" with perhaps six historic sites with a stamp to be added to the Historical Society/HPC table for residents to explore on their own time. Shah and Olson agreed. Olson also suggested a history trivia game. Ross offered to talk to Case about ideas,but noted this was an international, multicultural event and she was not sure how historic preservation fit. The event was not within walking distance to the Cummins House, so perhaps it was enough to draw people to this closest historic site, such as on the drive home, et cetera. Creamer suggested a takeaway like a handout. Shah replied the group was looking for more activities, based on the feedback. Ross suggested old-fashioned games such as a sack race. Thorp asked what the purpose of the event was, and Shah replied there was no formal goal but it was to celebrate the diversity of Eden Prairie and engaging the various organizations in the City (including the Eden Prairie Foundation, the library, the Somali community, et cetera.). Discussion followed on how to approach the history, entwined with historic preservation, of white pioneer settlement in Eden Prairie. Thorp stressed not getting into a situation in which indigenous stories were told by (and possibly misrepresented) EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2019 Page 3 by whites. Shah offered to invite Leonard Wabasha to the event as well. Ross noted she had tried to arrange for a Native American speaker for the Historical Society's Annual Meeting and seemed to encounter a reluctance to participate. Proper etiquette is required. Shah asked how the Historical Society dealt with these questions (historic preservation possibly celebrating the uprooting of another, earlier culture), and Olson replied the Society continuously wrestled with it; some issues had no solution, such as the existence of Fort Snelling which had more than one history and was viewed so differently by the indigenous population than the descendants of white settlers. Olson stated in light of what the commission learned after representatives of the Mdewakanton Sioux community visited the commission members (July 17, 2017) he would prefer to make a reciprocating gesture of reaching out, such as visiting the upcoming museum, before asking more of the indigenous community. Shah asked the commission to continue to come up with ideas. Thorp replied he did get an email from Case about having items to sell at the event, and noted she might mean selling more street signs. He stated he did not want to see a standalone booth but an effort to highlight the historic properties. Discussion followed on the possibility of selling signs. Shah was not sure selling would be allowed, and asked if Case would come back with options. Ross and Thorp replied Case seemed interested in having volunteers at the event but had not been specific. Thorp and Ross offered to find out what the Historical Society wished to do and report back to the commission. Discussion followed on how the HPC could best support the message of diversity. Shah urged the commission to bring its current and future identity to the event; past injustices (such as white displacement of indigenous communities) could not be rectified,but in other nations the people's history was utterly lost, which was not the case in Eden Prairie. Eden Prairie residents from other cultures respond positively too all forms of diversity. Ross suggested Shah and Spera be in charge of a booth, if there was one. Olson stated the commission would gather facts about the event to bring to the next commission meeting. Another Human Rights and Diversity meeting was upcoming, and the Historic Society would meet March 21. Creamer asked Shah, Ross, and Thorp to keep her informed. Shah offered to explore the idea of including the previously produced video. C. HARVEST CELEBRATION—BRAINSTORMING SESSION Creamer announced the dates for the Harvest Celebration, Peoplefest, and Native American History month and suggesting commission members picking one event to commit to rather than trying to do all three. If commission members wanted to volunteer for all three, they could think of an idea for each event. She would EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2019 Page 4 gather ideas and see if one event emerged as the most popular, or if there were no volunteers for some events, that event could be dropped. Thorp suggested having an event more endemic than simply having people paint pumpkins and go home. Ross suggested employing the recently installed interpretive signs to get people to stay in the park and to explore the City's history. Discussion followed on various games: Hula hoop, yo-yo, bobbing for apples. Spera mentioned she remembered the American Girl books, which prominently features games of the time periods. It would appeal to children, especially. Simply volunteering at the event was also a possibility. Creamer also suggested dressing up in costumes. D. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY—BRAINSTORMING SESSION Creamer stated the Human Rights and Diversity commission were very interested in partnering with the HPC with this endeavor. She was still attempting to get updates on the cataloging of the artifacts from the 106 Group but the cataloging was taking longer than she expected. She suggested trying to find a Native speaker to present. Thorp suggested meeting with Charlie Vig to see if he could get permission to tell Vig's family's story in an exhibit. Shah suggested a taped oral history. Shah also suggested Eden Prairie Library be utilized as a resource. Olson stated the commission could still visit the museum in Shakopee if open by then. Olson noted Leonard Wabasha had said at the July 17, 2017 commission meeting there was a monthly event at Prairie Island, and Creamer stated the Mall of America also held events and she could try to get some information on this. V. OLD BUSINESS A. FLYING RED HORSE UPDATE Creamer announced the commission members would meet Jay Lotthammer at 6:15 p.m. on April 15 at the Maintenance Facility. She and Lotthammer would work on a map of possible locations to install the finished object and present those ideas to the City Council at a workshop later in 2019. Creamer would send out an email to remind the commission members of time/location change of the April meeting. Thorp asked if the proposals had come back, and Creamer replied two consultants had replied. One had urged the commission to write a grant for a conservation assessment. The other consultant was troubled by the covering on the original sign, which had also been painted. The wood and the fasteners were weathered, so conservation would involve removing the riveted outer skin,restoring the wood, EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2019 Page 5 and reattaching the outer skin. The consultant did not give an estimate for this. Thorp replied he thought the sign had a strong center steel core,but some parts had a wood backing that would not be difficult to replace. He did not think the original sign was porcelain, which would be a problem if rivets had been drilled into porcelain. Creamer agreed the commission could determine the actual materials of the sign at the site visit in April. Thorp also suggested the plastic sheath be removed, attached to a freestanding frame, and sold it to a collector. Spera asked if this would expose the damage from the riveting, and Thorp replied it would. Creamer stated the visit would settle many of these questions. [Olson left at 8:20 p.m.] VI. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. STAFF UPDATES Creamer stated she asked Bob Mack, the City's HPC consultant, for estimates regarding the local designation of the Yorkville-Bloomington road. The deadline for the CLG grant was March 8. She asked if a grant application was worth pursuing, and Thorp replied there was no place for an interpretive sign. Creamer stated Mack wished to see more research. Thorp replied he could make the case that the Ox Cart Trail along the river went along the Indian encampment, then through the Narrows, and up to Flying Cloud Road. hi 1899 this was County Rd 2, and there were some comments in historical accounts this was the trail to Shakopee. Creamer added local designation was not as involved as the National Register nomination for the Smith Douglas More house. She offered to invite Mack to the April meeting. VII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY Thorp announced the annual meeting was April 25 at the Consolidated School Gym at 6:00 p.m. The Vintage Sale would be held Mother's Day weekend on Thursday and Friday at the CPG House. The Calico Ball would be held at the Schussler Barn on August 9, with alcohol, food, and square dancing being offered by the Lions' Club. The Ghost Walk would be held October 12 at the CPG House. The Sharing Tree event would be held November 30. On April 11 at City Hall the Eden Prairie Foundation was holding an event Thorp did not have specifics—and the museum would be open. There was a Task Force to discuss the gym at the Consolidated School; this event had no date as yet. EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 25, 2019 Page 6 VIII. FYI ITEMS IX NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held Monday, March 18, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. in Prairie Rooms A & B. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Shah moved, seconded by Thorp to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:32 p.m.