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Heritage Preservation - 03/17/2014 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER Prairie Rooms A & B COMMISSION MEMBERS: Ed Muehlberg (Chair), Cindy Cofer Evert (Vice Chair), Steve Olson, JoAnn McGuire, Pamela Spera, Mark Freiberg, Deb Paulson STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Hannah Jeter, Greta Colford, Laura Lindberg STAFF: John Gertz, Pathfinder CRM, LLC Lori Creamer, Staff Liaison Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary GUESTS: Nancy O'Brien Wagner, Bluestem Heritage Group Kathie Case, Eden Prairie Historical Society I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Muehlberg called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Gertz and Student Representatives Jeter, Colford, and Lindberg were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by Paulson, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 7-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: McGuire moved, seconded by Paulson, to approve the February 24, 2014 minutes. Motion carried 5-0-2 with Cofer Evert and Olson abstaining. IV. GUEST SPEAKER—BLUESTEM HERITAGE GROUP (BHG) A. UPDATE ON RILEY-JACOUES (RJ) FARMSTEAD PROJECT O'Brien Wagner from Bluestem Heritage Group distributed two drafts, one for an exterior sign at the Geisler-Dorenkemper House (DH) and one for a RJ Farmstead orientation sign. O'Brien Wagner explained once images are added, some content will go in as photo captions. Olson asked if the average person would be able to distinguish between staking property and surveying city/township/county land which was going on around the same time. O'Brien said she and her partner had talked about the term "pre-emption". HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 17, 2014 Page 2 She would like feedback if this needs further explanation. Cofer Evert said it would be interesting to include land cost for a comparison to today's prices. Case asked if there were plans to address the Rickerts/Richards and Dorenkemper families. O'Brien Wagner said the orientation sign near the parking lot will talk about how each building represents a different era. There will be more detailed information about DH on the exterior of the home. Information on the Rickerts/Richards can go inside the house and will be part of the larger interpretive plan. O'Brien explained the graphic design version will be presented at the next meeting. Paulson asked what the process was for selecting and approving images. O'Brien said she can email the proposed photos to commissioners in advance. She has a couple pictures in mind for the exterior sign and would like to add watercolors of undeveloped prairie to it. For the orientation sign, she is planning to include an aerial map and modern pictures tied to the descriptions. O'Brien Wagner asked for confirmation about sign style in comparison to signs from 2001. Cofer Evert said there is already variation in our signs. Creamer said there are no signs on site now so there is nothing to `match'. Paulson said they should be tasteful and fit the character of the location. Cofer Evert mentioned cohesiveness with City logos, lady slipper designs, and the like. Creamer said she has forwarded the necessary information to BHG. Muehlberg requested copies of the graphic design be available for review prior to the next meeting. Paulson asked if would be helpful to have O'Brien Wagner connect with the website. Cofer Evert brought up Quality Resource (QR) codes. Creamer said there are no plans to include QR codes because of changing technology. Cofer Evert, Olson, and Muehlberg said they were in favor of having PDFs of the panel graphics on the website. Creamer will follow-up on this. V. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF A. UPDATE ON HISTORIC SITES 1. Certificate of Authenticity (COA)— Cummins Grill House (CG) Case reminded commissioners of the HPC/EPHS joint meeting in May. She will confer with Cofer Evert on refreshments. EPHS will also be having a joint meeting with Council and any related staff that works at the house because the next five-year contract is coming due this fall. Case wants to make sure EPHS is doing what the Council wants in terms of caring for the house and wants to make sure everyone is happy and has an opportunity to share ideas. Case admitted relief the Commission has not approved the COA for moving the chandelier. There is a history of lighting-related issues at the house. The dining room was being used for a lot of meetings and the crystal chandelier was not very bright. Extra lights had to be brought in, so the CG Committee decided to get a light with a dimmer to match the kitchen fixture. Case had concerns from the HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 17, 2014 Page 3 beginning but wasn't too upset because it was changeable and didn't require making any holes in the ceiling. She noted the fixture has not actually been moved yet. She received an email from Gertz earlier today stating gas and electric should not be represented in the same room. He also pointed out if they go all electric, then the wallpaper in three rooms needs to be changed to reflect the same era. Light switches would also need to be added. She agrees with him and wants to go back to the committee and ask them to rethink things and not rush into anything. It's problematic now that it involves putting a new hole in the ceiling. Creamer said it is important to know what era is being represented. Paulson said she expected there would be general consensus on this. If there isn't, that changes the integrity. Her understanding is it is a historical site reflecting the late 1800s, early 1900s. It is one of the few true historic sites we have and a lot of work has been put into maintaining it. She would hate to see it modernized. It should not be negotiable. Case explained it is on the national register for the J.R. Cummins era, not because of the house but because of the man, his accomplishments, his work in horticulture, and his diary. Cofer Evert said she can understand changes in the kitchen due to it being a later addition and a different family,but the main two to three rooms need to be true to the Cummins era. Paulson said if rentals are driving these proposed changes,perhaps that is not the best use of the space and needs to be addressed. Muehlberg said remaining consistent to the designated time frame is the right approach. There is probably a better solution out there to the lighting problem. Case said while raising funds is fine, it should not be the goal. There are plans to possibly pursue a Legacy grant for some work upstairs. They would like to turn the two smaller rooms into storage for artifacts and then rent out the larger room. In order for this to happen, they would need to have access to the other staircase. Cofer Evert asked for Case's feedback on the RJ panels. Case said she thought the information was well-researched. She likes the proposed orientation sign. The information for the exterior sign is foreign to her. She finds it interesting but she would like to see some of the Geisler information whittled down so there is room to include the other two families who lived there. Olson asked which family was represented on the interior. Case said the house was built out of logs but was never was a log home since the logs were covered. The way it is now is the way it was built. Cofer Evert acknowledged the ability to convey information about the families via other avenues,but it seems incomplete to cover only the Geisler family on the exterior. Case felt the Geisler information was too detailed. Discussion ensued about what information could be cut. Muehlberg said there was discussion last month about how the settlement era doesn't match the interior of the home. While it is helpful to mention who settled it, it is important to address the interior era. Cofer Evert said at least half of the information should be devoted to the Dorenkempers. Creamer will relay this to BHG. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 17, 2014 Page 4 B. CITY PHOTO DISPLAY Cofer Evert circulated pictures of a historic photo display she and Case worked on at Star Bank. The photos selected represent the religious community, farming, education, commerce, and founding families in Eden Prairie. Historic photos of properties were displayed on one wall with current photos of the same on the opposite wall. Included in the display is an 1874 plat map. The photos are a combination of canvas and prints under glass displayed on shelves. Something similar could be done at City Center depending on available space. Case said another option would be to post six maps in a grouping. Olson suggesting anchoring a wall spot with a couple prints and having a projector rotate through a series of different-themed slideshows in between the two. Muehlberg stated it will be important to find out what kind of space is available first. Cofer Evert said we need to know how much and where. If the designated space is on the lower level, she would like to see something posted on the upper level directing visitors downstairs. The funding source would depend on the scope of the project. Creamer said she would like to see City-owned properties highlighted. Spera said she likes the contrast of showing old and current photos. Cofer Evert said we need to decide if we want a photo display or something more interactive. Creamer suggested we stick to one idea to start. We would likely need to write a grant for the maps. Commissioners are invited to look at the available space downstairs following the meeting. Paulson said as new things are put in place and signage is being improved, it would be nice for everything to have a unifying theme going forward. VI. STUDENT UPDATES None. VII. OLD BUSINESS A. WORK PLAN REVIEW Muehlberg requested the City historic display be placed on the HPC work plan in the "on-going" category. B. CLG GRANT UPDATE - Creamer Gertz has written and submitted a grant for four outdoor interpretive panels and a display kiosk at RJ Farmstead. VIII. NEW BUSINESS None. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 17, 2014 Page 5 IX. FYI ITEMS Freiberg noted a fourth building is being erected behind Green Acres. He doesn't recall getting an update on the status of the initial three buildings. Creamer said she will follow up with zoning. A. OVERLOOK SITE Muehlberg brought up pursuing site stabilization for preservation at the Overlook site. Olson suggested the HPC send a letter to the Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) explaining the situation and requesting access. Creamer read excerpts from a 2001 letter from MAC in regards to conditions for clean-up work at the site. Cofer Evert stated restoration may be a bigger issue than clean-up,but the wall is deteriorating and crumbling. Olson said we would first need Best Management Practices and next action steps from Gertz. Muehlberg noted it is unclear whether the work needed is within the realm of expertise of City staff. Olson recommended Bob Mack of MacDonald and Mack for masonry work. Muehlberg requested Gertz draft a letter to MAC expressing concern about current conditions and stating we would like to explore stabilization of the site. Olson said we should stress it is solely about protection. It is not about public access at this point. Creamer will forward the request to Gertz and put it on the agenda for an update next month. B. COMMISSION INTERVIEW UPDATES - Creamer Muehlberg, Cofer Evert, and Paulson have all renewed their terms. Muehlberg and Cofer Evert will continue in their roles as Chair and Vice Chair respectively. C. ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS - Creamer Creamer is waiting to hear if the scholarships she applied for will be awarded. X. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HPC meeting will be Monday, April 21, 2014, 7 p.m. at City Center, Prairie Rooms A & B. Annual Commissions banquet- Monday, May 14, Garden Room, lower level at City Center. Joint meeting with EPHS - Monday, May 19, 6 p.m. at CG. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Cofer Evert moved, seconded by Olson, to adjourn. Motion carried 7-0. Chair Muehlberg adjourned the meeting at 8:58 p.m.