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Heritage Preservation - 05/21/2007 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, MAY 21, 2007 7:00 P.M. Prairie Rooms A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS Betsy Adams, Chairperson; Ann Higgins, Vice Chairperson; Richard Akerlund, Nina Mackay, Mark McPherson,Ed Muehlberg, Jane Plaza COMMISSION STAFF John Gertz, Historic Preservation Specialist Peggy Rasmussen, Recorder I. ROLL CALL Higgins called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. in the absence of Adams, who was excused. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Mackay moved, seconded by Plaza, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried 6-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —APRIL 16, 2007 MOTION: Plaza moved, seconded by Muehlberg, to approve the minutes of the Heritage Preservation Commission held on April 16, 2007 as published. Motion carried 6-0. IV. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. PRESERVE MINNESOTA STATEWIDE HISTORIC PRESERVATION WORKSHOP - TUESDAY JUNE 12, 2007 Gertz said Adams and Higgins are planning to attend the workshop at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. He would need to know by May 28 if others wish to attend. The City of Eden Prairie will pay the registration fee. Gertz urged everyone to consider going to the National Trust Conference in St. Paul during the first week in October. Robert Vogel is working with the Edina Heritage Preservation Board, which will be offering a tour of Edina. B. HPC POWER POINT PRESENTATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL — TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2007 Gertz distributed copies of the PowerPoint presentation he and Adams made to the City Council on May 1. This was the first of two HPC presentations scheduled by the City Manager for 2007, with the second one on September 18. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING May 21, 2007 Page 2 Gertz said it lasted about 10 minutes and there were no questions from the Council afterward. Gertz said they focused on projects the HPC is doing this year, and they plan to do an update for the September presentation. They also talked about the HPC's responsibilities, mission and goals. Gertz pointed out that people watching in the audience and at home had an opportunity to learn what the Commission does. Gertz said he would like to know if the Commissioners have suggestions for the September presentation or want to participate in putting it together. He could also run through the PowerPoint at another meeting in one of the Heritage Rooms and it could be modified for the September presentation. V. OLD BUSINESS A. J.R. CUMMINS HOUSE REUSE STUDY Gertz reported that he met on May 9 at the Cummins property with Robert Vogel and Linda Michie, the architect who will be doing the concept plan for the site. She will provide some plans in July for HPC review. Michie and Vogel believe this would be a beautiful site for a hospice, which seems to be the most popular idea. Michie had a lot of questions about the house if it were to be used as a hospice, such as how an addition would be linked to the house and how many stories would the addition have. They also discussed future parking for the athletic fields and the Cummins house. Gertz said Vogel is working to compile all the reuse study information as well as the management plan. Sometime in June the Commissioners will see that information and,by July, there will be a full concept for them to review. Mackay asked if using the property for weddings is still being considered. Gertz said no ideas have been dropped. There have not been any business plans solicited because Vogel wants to put out various scenarios for the City Council to select from. Regarding a hospice, it might be necessary to get in touch with people who manage them to find out what they would need to have, so that Michie can use that information to draw up plans. Gertz said July 31 is the end date for the original CLG grant, but the City was awarded additional money after the SHPO contacted all the cities working on grants and asked if they wanted to add on to their grant. Eden Prairie received $6,000 that will now go to the site management plan component of the reuse study. As a result, Gertz said the City will apply for an extension past July 31, probably until sometime in September, and it would likely be approved. Gertz heard from Liz Abel that MnDOT and the County will share the cost of completing a landscape plan for the property. The work will begin fairly soon and probably will be finished by September. Vogel and Gertz will also be HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING May 21, 2007 Page 3 involved. This historic landscape plan will be part of the Section 106 mitigation process. It would be integrated with the reuse study and site management plan. As part of the site management plan, Gertz said he and Vogel have discussed doing an interpretive element, similar to the example from the Tucson Origins Heritage Park Master Plan that he sent to the Commissioners. Gertz said it is important to consider the interpretive values of the property and then think about how they will be interpreted. This would be a guide for the interpretation of what they believe is important to convey about the site. He pointed out this is an opportunity to make that work with the landscape plan. Gertz asked the Commissioners to think about this for discussion at the next meeting. He has looked at the National Park Web site about interpretation and will talk about it next month. In order to see if the proposed landscape plan has the right look, Akerlund suggested taking photos of views from the windows of the house, then looking at photos of the property in the Historical Society's archives. Akerlund pointed out that this used to be a farm, and asked if a piece of antique farm machinery should be placed somewhere. Gertz said all ideas like that should be collected and then they will work with the landscape architect on using them. Gertz said the plantings around the house should be just what you would expect to see around a farmhouse at the turn of the century. He asked the Commissioners to think about where they would want plantings placed. Gertz said the peonies were planted about 1910. In recent years, the Parks and Recreation Department has been doing an excellent job of looking after them. Akerlund suggested taking photos of the peonies for use in HPC's presentation to the Council in September. Gertz said he would ask Stan Tekiela, the City's Naturalist, to take photos of the peonies when they are in bloom. Gertz said he would also phone Karla Wennerstrom about taking color photos for the Eden Prairie News. Once a month the Parks and Recreation Department puts together an insert about City activities for the newspaper, and perhaps photos of the peonies could be included. B. GLEN LAKE CHILDREN'S CAMP REHABILITATION Gertz reported that he has been spending a lot of time at the camp, monitoring how the work is being done. He has been taking digital photos and sending them to the SHPO and the architect, Stuart Bailey. The opening of the camp is planned for June 17. Gertz said the interior has changed quite a bit. The partition walls were lowered. Walls have been paneled. Insulation has been installed. The carpenters are retrofitting the windows, which will be reglazed and reinstalled to swing outward. The interior storm window units are done and ready to use. That was all approved by the SHPO. Gertz had a phone call from Stewart Bailey saying Friendship Ventures wants to investigate using a thermal storm window and Gertz was asked to look into it. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING May 21, 2007 Page 4 Gertz recommended doing an energy-efficiency calculation. He thinks three panes of glass would only gain an R-2 rating. Gertz told Bailey he does not believe the cost of a thermal window would have a great rate of return in energy efficiency, so he recommended looking at it carefully. In addition, those windows do not last very long and would need to be replaced. Friendship Ventures is also talking about aluminum framed thermal windows, which Gertz said would not be the best choice. He will let the Commissioners know what happens on this idea. Gertz said the other item that came up was location of three condensers. Gertz and the SHPO had approved locating them at the northwest corner of the building. Gertz was asked for permission to move two of them to the southwest side, which would save them money. Gertz said the grant from the SHPO should cover those kinds of costs. He told them if it was a problem of trying to go that distance, he would approve it, but if the shorter run would put them into view, he would not approve that. Akerlund asked if they had considered using shrubbery or fencing to hide the condensers. Gertz replied that is what they would resort to if they are in view,but if they are placed in the northwest corner they would be out of view. Gertz said the survey work took longer than anticipated, so permission from the City is not expected until the middle of June. The watershed district review will take place in June. Everything else is going well. They are doing nice work. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. CEILING FANS FOR THE RILEY-JACOUES BARN Gertz said Sandy Werts talked to him about the fact that it gets very hot in the barn during performances and dances, and she has had to borrow big floor fans from different parts of the City, which are quite noisy. She and Gertz are looking into the purchase of ceiling fans and will meet tomorrow morning with the facilities manager, Paul Sticha, then drive out to the barn and look at options. Gertz said this would not require a site-alteration permit, but he asked the HPC to consider the options and tell him know if they have ideas on how to heat or cool the barn. Mackay said the ceiling fans are a good idea; they can also be reversed in the winter for heat. Gertz said they would be placed in the upper loft area where the roof traps the heat. Akerlund inquired if the barn had any cupolas. They would pull hot air out of the barn. Gertz said it does not have any. When the barn was restored, adding cupolas was part of the discussion, but historically they were never there, so were not added. Akerlund offered to search for two old cupolas. Gertz said he would discuss it with Sticha and let Akerlund know. Gertz said Sticha thought a minimum of eight fans would be required, at about $500 each. McPherson said he knows about a firm that makes commercial-type ceiling fans and could make one large fan that might do the job of several smaller HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING May 21, 2007 Page 5 ones. Gertz asked for information on the supplier and he would pass that along to Sticha. Purchase of the fans would have to go through the approval process. The HPC would be asked to approve the style, etc., then the request to purchase them would be added to the budget for 2008. If approved, they would be installed next year. Floor fans would continue to be borrowed this summer. Gertz reported that when he was at the Cummins house recently, he saw police canine units from all over the state using the training area behind the house. It reminded him that when the City starts building the parking lot in July or August, the police will have to move the canine training area to another location. It has been suggested they move it to the Riley farm. Gertz asked the Commissioners what they thought of that idea, and if they want to make that suggestion or let it come from the police. Mackay recommended waiting for them to say something about where they want it relocated, but the canine training program should not be inhibited. Akerlund inquired if Gertz would want Sever Peterson to plant a few rows of corn at the Riley farm for Sunbonnet Days. Gertz said that would probably require a site-alteration permit. The Parks and Recreation Department would also have to be informed. Gertz said it goes back to programming the site. The Historical Society should be involved in the decision, because they do the programming for the Dornkemper House. Perhaps the Historical Society would like to incorporate farming into the Dornkemper House program. VII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Mackay moved, seconded by Akerlund, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 6-0. Higgins adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m.