5.3 HPSR 10-17-2013 J ,3
Fischer, Suzanne
Subject: FW: City of Elk River Water Tower
From: John Futon [maltto:iohn.fulton@mnhs.cn 1
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2013 3:21 PM
To: Fischer, Suzanne
Subject: Re: city of Elk River WOW Tower
Suzanne, It's very hard for us to predict results. To answer 1., I would say that getting the entire 400K is not
highly likely, but as long as you have a well planned and explained project that you could get some of it. The
key to success will be the case that you make for public need. Since the tower isn't used for water storage now,
you would be applying to preserve it as a sculpture, essentially, and would apply for conservation treatment
under the collection care category. It would be a unique project, but comparable to the preservation of a train
engine outside a museum (something we have funded).
2. No match is required for the legacy grants. But for large grants, match helps make the case that you have
community support. If you can get 50%match, you will improve your chances of getting a grant as long as you
have a good application. If you can't find that much match, you can still apply and whatever percentage you
have will still help you make the case.
3. It's a fine route to take.
4. I don't have anyone like that I can name. We don't advise people to get grant writers because this program
can't pay for grant writing. We try to help applicants as much as possible when they have questions. I know that
there are grant writers out there, we just don't have their names. Sorry about that.
The next deadline for mid and large pre-applications will be in May of 2014. Hope that helps, but don't hesitate
if you have further questions.
John
On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 2:32 PM, Fischer, Suzanne <sfischer(aelkrivermn.gov> wrote:
Hello—
The Elk River water tower was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 2012. The city is now
seeking funds for remediation (lead paint) and restoration of the tower. This cost was most recently quoted at
$400,000.
A former employee (Rebecca Haug) was handling this effort but with her departure we have some unanswered
questions.
1. Based on your experience,what is the likelihood of getting a large grant for this restoration?
2. What are the grant maximums and matching requirements? (75/25; 50/50;etc)
3. Would pursuit of a grant through the Minnesota Historical&Cultural Grants program (Legacy funds?) be
the best route based on the high cost of the restoration project?
4. If feasible, can you refer any individuals who could help with the application process/grant writers?We do
not have internal staff to handle this.
I plan to update the Heritage Preservation Commissioners at their next meeting on October 17th. Thank you.
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