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Heritage Preservation - 02/23/1998HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 23, 1998 Page 1 APPROVED MINUTES HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION Monday, February 23, 1998 7:00 p.m., City Center Prairie Room A/B 8080 Mitchell Road Commission Members: Kathie Case, Timothy Colliton, Jane Hession, Lori Peterson-Benike, and James Wilson Student Representatives: Jenny Freemyer, and Kristin Kelly Staff: John Gertz, Historic Preservation Specialist, and Rebecca L. Belz, Recording Secretary Others Present: Jan Mosman I. ROLL CALL Chair Hession called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Commissioner Lori Peterson-Benike was absent. Student Representative Jenny Freemyer was also absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The following items were added under Old Business: E. Samuel Anderson Park Name Change F. Update on Cummins-Grill House Restroom Facility The following items were added under New Business: E. Horseman’s Club’s proposal regarding Riley Jacques property F. Historic Site Preservation Plan Report Kathie Case moved, seconded by Tim Colliton, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried unanimously. III. APPROVAL OF JANUARY 26, 1998 MINUTES The Commission requested several changes to the minutes of the previous meeting. Changes to page 2 included: > To change the name “John Hensrud” to “Jim Mason” in the first paragraph under letter B. > To change the name “Gertz” to “Hession” and the accompanying pronoun to “she” under letter C. > To put proper punctuation after the word “that” in the last sentence and then to change the capital I in “if” to lower case. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 23, 1998 Page 2 Changes to page 3 included: > To change “Association” to “Associates” in the first line of the first paragraph. > To add “Patrick D.” before the word “Nunnally” in the first line of the first paragraph. > To delete “knows him personally and he has access to” in the second sentence and insert “has included.” > To delete the word “designations” in the third sentence and insert “site surveys.” > To add “and Engineer “Bob Obermyer” after “District” in the first line of letter B. > To correct the spelling of Jan Mosman’s name. > To change the use of “Watershed District” to “Bob Obermyer” throughout the rest of the paragraph. > To replace the word “the” with “partial” in the fifth sentence of the paragraph letter B. > To change the word “City” to “HPC” in the first paragraph of letter C. Changes to page 4 included: > To change the name “Marshall’s” to “Case” in the second paragraph of letter E. > To correct the spelling of Wes Dunsmore’s name in the last sentence. > To change “noted” to “notes” in the last line of the paragraph. Changes to page 5 included: > To add “Grace” to “Church” in the first line of letter G. > To delete two sentences prior to the last sentence of the paragraph. > To add “to Fiscal Year 1997” to the end of the first sentence of letter A under Roman numeral VII. James Wilson moved, seconded by Tim Colliton, to approve the minutes of the January 26, 1998 meeting as corrected. Motion carried unanimously. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF Gertz reported that City Council had made appointments to the Commission. Reappointed members were Jane Hession and James Wilson. New members appointed were Jan Mosman and Ginger Venable. New commissioners will begin serving in April. V. REPORTS OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY Kathie Case reported that Marion Neverdahl sold her home on Pioneer Trail. The new owners plan to restore it. She also reported that the Eden Prairie Historical Society ordered 75 more blankets. She noted prices are $30 for Commissioners, $35 for Historical Society Members, and $40 for the public. Commissioner Case further reported that Marie Wittenberg’s husband is quite ill and is expected to pass away soon. Mrs. Wittenberg is the President of the Eden Prairie Historical Society. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Riley-Jacques Granary Update HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 23, 1998 Page 3 Mr. Gertz reported that Tom Diethelm is planning to begin restoration on the property in the next two weeks. Gertz also reported that Mr. Diethelm had gone to look at the Peterson barn to ascertain what materials could be salvaged for use on the granary. Mr. Diethelm will use what he can. B. Fredrick-Miller Spring Mr. Gertz reported of the meeting held with Bob Obermyer of Barr Engineering to discuss various aspects of the Spring. Bob Lambert of the City was also invited but was unable to attend. Mr. Gertz reported that during the meeting, he discovered that the tank could be cast in concrete to replicate the historic wood one. Mr. Obermyer also told Gertz that Obermyer did not feel a wall was necessary. Also that the Spring could stay where it was, as Obermyer was not aware of plans for road construction in the near future. As a result of the meeting, Jan Mosman was asked to prepare sketches of restoration possibilities. Jan Mosman, though newly elected to the Commission, was present to discuss the sketches of the Spring. Some including options of moving the Spring and some for keeping it where it is. Discussion ensued about the options. Chair Hession then questioned what action was necessary of the Commission at this time. Mr. Gertz noted that nothing was required yet because he needs to investigate the plans for the adjacent road. Chair Hession further expressed that she would like to move the Spring close to the creek. Commissioner Case agreed with the Chair and added that she would like it pulled away from the creek a bit. Several ideas surfaced regarding the foundation of the spring tank. The positions of benches and Kiosks included in the sketches were also discussed. If they are constructed, it was noted that they should be placed on either side of the Spring so as to not detract from the historic preservation. Mr. Gertz had noted during the conversation that to keep the Spring historically accurate, it should stay where it is. The Chair thanked Mosman for her presentation and noted that further discussion will take place once Gertz has found out about the adjacent road. C. City/Historical Society Roles and Responsibilities Agreement Mr. Gertz referred to the proposed agreement that was included in the packet. He informed the Commission that the draft actually came from the City of Minnetonka and felt that it was a good model. He noted that the agreement shows how each party is responsible and also how they work together. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 23, 1998 Page 4 Commissioner Case liked the proposed agreement and suggested that the original memo from the Mayor in 1975 (Resolution 977) be included when taking it to Council. This would provide Council further information on the subject. Mr. Gertz reported that many steps are still needed before actually taking this draft to Council. One such step is to show the draft to the President of the Historical Society. Chair Hession questioned whether it would be the Commission’s responsibility to present this to the Historical Society or if it should be the responsibility of City staff. Chair Hession requested Mr. Gertz memo Chris Enger supporting the proposed agreement and its presentation to the Historical Society. D. Glen Lake Children’s Camp Mr. Gertz reported of the meeting with city staff, Commission member, representatives from Friendship Ventures, and representatives of City Council to discuss funding and potential plans for the property. Mr. Gertz referred to the letter sent by Elizabeth Thompson of KMR Architects, LTD., expressing an interest in revitalizing the plan. Mr. Gertz reported that Ms. Thompson will be submitting new plans for review. He further noted that once the new plans have been drafted, the entire approval process will be necessary, beginning with the Planning Commission, HPC, then on to Council for approval. Commissioners expressed a desire to refurbish the building as authentic as possible to allow National Registration in the future. E. Franlo Park Name Change Kathie Case presented and read aloud the letter from Leslie Anderson, the Grandson of Samuel Anderson, which addressed the Commission and stated several reasons why he felt the name of the park should be changed. It was noted that the Commission had made a motion at the January 26, 1998 meeting supporting the change and that the letter had been requested by the Commission to accompany their recommendation to City Council. F. Cummins-Grill House Restroom Facility Mr. Gertz had no update at this time. This will be redressed at the next meeting. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Recommendation to include a Local Registration for the Glen Lake Children’s Camp with the Current CLG Grant Project Mr. Gertz recommended to the Commission to include this site with the current grant project. He suggested that the Glen Lake Children’s Camp replace the Consolidated School property on the list of six registrations. He had discussed this proposition with HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 23, 1998 Page 5 Patrick Nunnally, who was excited about working with the property. Mr. Gertz confirmed that the Consolidated School could be added back to the list at a later date. MOTION: Tim Colliton moved, seconded by James Wilson, to revise the list of properties to register by replacing Consolidated School with the Glen Lake Children’s Camp. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Gertz also reported of his conversation with Rolf Anderson regarding National Registration Nominations. Mr. Gertz believes Patrick Nunnally’s job could easily be transferred to a National Registration if desired. B. Burial Mound Preservation Chair Hession noted that City Council was not aware that the Commission had reviewed the Settlers Ridge property in December and that a discussion had taken place regarding the burial mounds. Mr. Gertz suggested that he could include a Staff Report to Council informing them of items discussed by the Commission including items that were not acted on. Chair Hession then reported of conversations with concerned Council members about mounds and their preservation. Some questions posed by Council members included: > Can someone purchase a mound? > Can play equipment be put on them? > What happens if a property is sold? How would owners be notified of the historical significance? > Can the City mark them or build buffers around them? Discussion ensued regarding preserving the mounds, what the City and State has mandated in the preservation of such sites and possible options in preserving them. Mr. Gertz reported that Minnesota Statute 307.08 does not provide buffer standards. All Commissioners empathized with the importance of this topic and were sensitive to the mound's significance. Mr. Gertz noted that only one mound on this particular property had been authenticated and that the State Archeologist needed to authenticate any other suspected mounds. Chair Hession suggested tabling this topic until the next meeting where Commissioners could make suggestions for possible solutions. She recommended Commissioners read all information in their notebooks regarding the section under Preservation Laws/Ordinances. Commissioner Colliton volunteered to form a sub committee to investigate and report back at the next meeting. James Wilson expressed an interest in participating as well. Mr. Gertz suggested the Commission recommend standards and guidelines to council. He further noted that they should be written in such a way that Council could act on them in a case by case basis. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 23, 1998 Page 6 C. Proposed Business Use for Historic Site Student Representative Kristin Kelly distributed an outline of a proposition to utilize a Historic site. This proposition would provide a service to the community as well as form a place for local teens to meet. Her suggestion included using a site as a welcoming coffee shop. She suggested utilizing interested citizens to help manage the facility as well as employ students from the high school, involving DECA and the Marketing/Business Department. Properties suggested in her memo included the Smith-Douglas-More House, Samuel Anderson House, and Cornwell House. Commissioners commended her idea and proposition. All were in agreement that this was a good idea and a good way to expose Eden Prairie’s history. The Chair noted her approval of utilizing the community. Discussion ensued regarding properties, zoning issues and covenants. The Commission encouraged Miss Kelly to pursue this proposal by developing a business plan and sited other properties that may be considered. One property in particular was the Staring Lake Outdoor Center because of its historic significance, accessibility, existing facilities, and ambiance. D. Recommendation to Allow One Non-resident to Serve on HPC Chair Hession opened discussion on this topic by noting the City Ordinance requests that the Commission include two members that hold expertise in some related area. She noted that finding such interested people that live in Eden Prairie could be difficult and opened discussion regarding including a non-resident on the Commission. Commissioner Wilson gave consent to the proposition though Colliton wished to think more on the subject and continue the discussion at the next meeting. Through the discussion, it was identified that the Ordinance requires that one Commissioner be a member of the County Historical Society. Commissioner Case will check with the President of the Eden Prairie Historical Society to inquire whether Case is a member of the Hennepin County Historical Society. E. Horseman’s Club’s Proposal Regarding Riley Jacques Property Commissioner Colliton, also a member of the Horseman’s Club, reported that the Club would like to paint the wood fence on the Riley Jacques property to protect and preserve it. He noted that it would be a transparent coating possibly white or a whitish-gray color. Commissioner Colliton reported that the Horseman’s Club would incur the cost. The Commission acknowledged that it must approve work done to this property because it is City- owned. They supported the idea and further suggested the transparent white option. Chair Hession commended the proposition and suggested that the request and the consent be put in writing for documentation purposes. She further requested Mr. Gertz work with the Club throughout the project. MOTION: HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 23, 1998 Page 7 Kathie Case moved, seconded by James Wilson, to give John Gertz permission to work with the Horseman’s Club to paint the fence on the Riley Jacques property with transparent, preserving type paint. Motion carried unanimously. Tim Colliton abstained from the vote. VIII. ADJOURNMENT James Wilson moved, seconded by Tim Colliton, to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.