4.6. SR 03-03-2014 City of
Elk=' Request for Action
River
To Item Number
Mayor and City Council 4.6
Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by
Consent March 3, 2014 Zack Carlton,Planner
Item Description Reviewed by
Heritage Preservation Commission Annual Report Jer em Barnhart,Deputy Director, CODD
Reviewed by
Cal Portner, City Administrator
Action Requested
Receive, by motion,the 2013 Annual Report of the Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission.
Background/Discussion
The annual report of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) summarizes activities from the
previous fiscal year and outlines goals for the next. The report is required by statute, filed with the State
Historic Preservation Office, and required for maintaining Certified Local Government status.
The HPC reviewed the annual report during their February 20, 2014, special meeting. They made two
minor content changes and unanimously approved the report. During the 2013 fiscal year, the HPC
worked to increase public awareness of the Jackson Street Water Tower and saw the successful
nomination of the structure to the National Register of Historic Places. The Mississippi Connections
Redevelopment framework was adopted by the City Council in November of 2012 and included a
historic section discussing the preservation of significant historical locations in the downtown area.
The HPC was involved in a number of events,including the history day celebration on June 15, 2013, an
archeological survey and dig at Bailey Point Nature Preserve June 14-16, 2013, and judging at the Salk
Middle School History Fair. Members also attended the Annual Statewide Historic Preservation
Conference in Lanesboro,MN.
For 2014, the HPC will continue to focus on the preservation and restoration of the Jackson Street Water
Tower. Commissioner Mortensen will work with local residents and conduct oral histories. They will
explore the creation of a historic neighborhood district, and continue to work with Elk River Community
Ed to coordinate educational opportunities into their programs. The historic walking tour will continue in
partnership with students and staff from St. Cloud State University. Finally, members will attend the
annual conference of the American Association for State and Local History to learn about the history of
the Twin Cities region.
Financial Impact
None
Attachments
■ 2013 HPC Annual Report
P a w E A E U s r
NaA f RE]
Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission
Annual Report
(October 1, 2012 — September 30, 2013)
4 .
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The following is the annual report of the Elk River Heritage Preservation
Commission (HPC) for October 1, 2012 — September 30, 2013. The report was
prepared according to the guidelines outlined in 'Procedures for Applying for
and Maintaining Certified Local Government Status (CLG).' The Minnesota
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) administers CLG status for the
National Park Service in Minnesota. An annual report is a requirement to
maintain CLG status.
City of Elk River
_ Certified Local Government
kiver 2013 Annual Report
Background
The Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) is a Certified Local Government (CLG)
for the purposes of expanding local involvement and participation in historic preservation issues.
The CLG program is administered by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). A requirement
of the CLG program is submission of an annual report to SHPO documenting the activities of the
HPC for the previous Federal fiscal year,which runs October 1,2012, to September 30,2013.
The HPC consists of five Elk River residents appointed by the City Council. Each serve three-year
terms beginning on the first day of March. The HPC shall include, if available, a member of the
Sherburne County Historical Society.
Exhibits:
A. HPC Members
B. Annual HPC Certified Local Government Assurances Form
C. History Day article and brochure
D. Bailey Point Nature Preserve Park
E. Archeological Dig article
F. Historic Walking Tour brochure
Analysis
The HPC held eight regular meetings during the reporting period. All meetings were posted as
public meetings and conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Minnesota Open
Meeting Law (Minnesota Statues 471.705). Minutes of each meeting are recorded, filed at City Hall
and can be viewed on the city website.
2013 Projects
Ongoing Review of Development Proposals
Throughout the year, the HPC reviews development proposals using archaeological modeling.
During 2013, the HPC reviewed one passive development proposal for Bailey Point Park Preserve.
There were no other development proposals deemed a threat to historical sites or historical
information this year.
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Jackson Street Water Tower
The Jackson Street Water Tower (circa 1920) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2012. Since that time, the HPC has worked to increase public awareness of this historical
structure with a 3D model and printed materials of the tower's history at schools, environmental
workshops,messaging on the city website and at city open house events.
The HPC is actively seeking funds to restore the tower. The surface assessment indicated the
presence of lead paint which would have to be removed prior to repainting. The Minnesota
Historical and Cultural Grants office indicated that a structural assessment would also be required to
determine its structural stability. Repainting and correcting any structural and/or safety code issues is
estimated to be in excess of$400,000. The HPC needs to determine if this is a feasible project and if
so,what each phase of the restoration process will include.
Mississippi Connections Redevelopment Framework
As reported last year, Elk River began planning for future development of its downtown area in
2006. The City Council created a Task Force to create a plan for the "greater downtown area."
The mission statement of the Task Force is: To develop a comprehensive plan that will redefine the greater
downtown area" to preserve its historical character while promoting the future viability of the community. The
Mississippi Connections Study Area'summary.Zes the objectives,purpose and intent of the Plan.
It is the cornerstone of the community. The Redevelopment Framework provides the blueprint for
creating an environment and culture that encourages private reinvestment. This will be characterized
by a robust business climate, strong affordable residential neighborhoods, diverse recreational
opportunities, an agreed upon transportation framework, recognition of its historical place, and
enhancing opportunities for community connection.
The plan includes a historic section which includes preserving the history of Elk River and its
building to further communicate our link to the past. Other sections in the plan discuss preservation
of the "Brick Block", the Jackson Street Water Tower, establishment of historic residential
neighborhood districts, and the development of interpretive signage highlighting historic
occurrences along the Mississippi and Elk River trail system.
The plan was approved by the City Council in November 2012 and is currently being incorporated
into the 2014 Comprehensive Plan update.
History Day
The HPC held a History Day Celebration on June 15, 2013, in conjunction with ArtSoup, a local art
appreciation event hosted by the Elk River Area Arts Alliance, and the archaeological dig at Bailey
Point Nature Reserve.
The event was coordinated to provide a fun and interactive educational opportunity for all ages to
learn about the history of Elk River. Held at the historic Handke Pit, the day included a town ball
baseball game, a fashion show, a parade and the sale of memorial bricks to help fund the Elk River
Water Tower Restoration Project.
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Special events were held at the Oliver Kelley Farm and HPC members led a historic walking tour
along the river (see Exhibit E). Staff worked with Salk Middle School and Community Ed to
increase the amount of local history in the classroom and the community.
Bailey Point Nature Preserve
The City of Elk River purchased the 23-acre
parcel in 2012 with assistance from the DNR
and the Minnesota Land Trust. Known locally
as Bailey Point, it is intended as a passive public
park.
Officially named Baily Point Nature Preserve,
groundbreaking was held on August 14, 2013,
following the establishment of passive walking
trails and a gravel parking lot (see Exhibit F).
The site is historically significant as it was site of
the first Sherburne County Fair, the first high
school football field, a golf course, and is also
recognized as a battle site between the Dakota
and Ojibwa Indians. In accordance with state
grant requirements, public archaeological digs
on the property were initiated in 2013.
Archaeological Survey and Dig
During the weekends of June 14-16 and June 21-23, 2013, the public participated in an
archaeological survey at the Bailey Point Nature Preserve Park, located at the confluence of the Elk
and Mississippi Rivers (see Exhibit G).
Dr. Richard Rothaus along with a team of archaeologists worked with the volunteers over the two
weekends. The team of archaeologists included Joe McFarlane, Jim Cummings, Bob Burgess, and
Dave Ranford.
Eight volunteers work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with public tours at 3 p.m. daily. The volunteers spent
approximately 200 hours at the event.
During the second weekend a nice concentration of early 20th century/late 19th century artifacts
near the camp "kitchen" were found. It is believed they might predate the kitchen and Dr. Rothaus
is looking into the timelines more closely.
The city was fortunate to receive donations from local businesses and posted informational flyers in
their establishments. Donations were received from the Bank of Elk River, Target, Cub Foods, Elk
River Rotary, The Fraternal Order of the Eagles, the City of Elk River, Diamond City Bread,
Midwest Asphalt,and Westbound Liquor.
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Oral Histories
Commissioner Mortensen continues to conduct oral histories with residents willing to be
interviewed.
Annual Statewide Historic Preservation Conference
In September 2013, staff member Rebecca Haug and HPC Commissioner Joshua Fox attended the
conference in Lanesboro,Minnesota.
Salk Middle School History Fair Judging — Staff member Rebecca Haug and HPC
Commissioner Joshua Fox were judging participants at the January 2013 event. City Engineer Justin
Femrite will participate in the 2014 Fair.
2014 Proposed Projects
Preservation of Water Tower
The HPC will continue to seek funding opportunities for restoration of the water tower.
Oral Histories
The HPC will continue working on conducting oral histories of some of the older generation
residents from Elk River.
Historic Neighborhood District
The HPC will continue to explore creating a historic neighborhood district in the City.
Educational Opportunities
HPC will continue to work with the Elk River Community Education Department and Parks and
Recreation Department to incorporate educational opportunities into their programs. A historic tour
could be coordinated with the Parks and Recreation Department. Elk River Community Education
may be willing to host training to conduct oral histories in the community.
Potential land acquisition(s) of a property
with local historical or cultural importance
The City of Elk River has been working with llen,■, .,
Friends of the Mississippi and The - tr_ {�
Conservation Fund to acquire the Houlton-
Olson family farm property to add to the city '
park system.
The 335-acre riverfront property is located F
west of downtown near the Orono Dam and
has been in the family since the 1870's.
Negotiations will continue into 2014.
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Exhibit A
Heritage Preservation Commission Roster as of October 16, 2013
Joshua Fox H (763) 241-7893
17187 Nixon St NW f6jo0404(&gmail.com
Elk River MN 55330
Teen Expires:02128116
Lance Lindberg (Chair)
18621 Simonet Dr NW W (763) 441-2248
Elk River, MN 55330 LanceLindberg(kKW.com
Teen Expires:02128114
Stephen Rohlf C (763) 234-0177
13065 Orono Parkway NW sroblfkerfdj.com
Elk River, MN 55330
TeT-n Expires:02128115
Debra Mortensen C (763) 498-2281
17149 Olson Ct NW d.mortenahoo.com
Elk River, MN 55330
Teen Expires:02128114
Marilyn VanPatten H (763) 441-2694
10451 175`h Ave NW MVanpa2943kaol.com
Elk River MN 55330
Teen Expires:02128115
Staff Liaisons to the HPC
Suzanne Fischer W (763) 635-1030
13065 Orono Parkway NW sfischer(kelkrivermn.gov
Elk River, MN 55330
City Council Liaison to the HPC
Stewart Wilson (763)300-2674
846 Freeport Ave NW swilson(kthebankofelkriver.com
Elk River MN 55330
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Exhibit B
Annual HPC Certified Local Government Assurances
Name of HPC: City of Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission
Fiscal Year: October 1, 2012—September 30,2013
State of Minnesota
County of Sherburne
City of Elk River
I,the undersigned, being the duly qualified and acting Mayor of the City of Elk River,Minnesota, do hereby
certify that the City of Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission has adhered to the public participation
provisions as stipulated under Section D of the "Procedures for Applying For and Maintaining Certified Local
Government Status" issued by the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office.
I,the undersigned, being the duly qualified and acting Mayor of the City of Elk River,Minnesota, do hereby
certify that the City of Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission has adhered to the "Procedures for the Proper
Disposal of Government Records" pursuant to Minnesota Statutes X138.17 (see Appendix C of"Procedures for
Applying For and Maintaining Certified Local Government Status")
Witness my hand officially on March 3,2014.
John J. Dietz,Mayor
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Exhibit C
History Day will feature old town ball game, fashion show
by Joni Astrup,Associate editor
May 30, 2013 at 9:05 am
A History Day event will be held in Elk River in conjunction with the ArtSoup festival.
History Day is sponsored by the Elk River
Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC)
and will be held Saturday, June 15.
Events include:
•10 a.m.-noon: An old town ball game at
Handke Stadium, 1170 Main St. MWOKIC
•1 p.m.: A fashion show by the Living
IDOMTO
History Society in downtown Elk River.
•2 p.m.: Best historic costume contest is
tentatively scheduled.
This sign alerts motorists that they are entering historic
The HPC will have a booth at ArtSOU downtown Elk River.The water tower in the background is on
p the National Register of Historic Places.Star News file photo
where people may buy an autographed
copy of the book"Images of America Elk Pamphlets with a walking tour of historic
River'' by Debra Mortensen. There also downtown Elk River will also be available
will be an opportunity for people make a at the HPC booth.
donation for the restoration of the historic
water tower on Jackson Avenue in Elk Tours of a public archaeological dig at
River. The water tower was named to the Bailey Point Nature Preserve will be held at
National Register of Historic Places in 3 p.m.
2012.
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Exhibit D
Bailey Point Nature Preserve gets its wings
byJoni Astrup, Associate editor
Bailey Point Nature Preserve, Elk River's newest park, is officially open.
Anderson also noted that there has been a mayor, city
council and city staff in place willing to seize the
I opportunity to acquire the land when it was available. "In
another day and another time, this opportunity may have
been missed out on," he said.
Mayor John Dietz and Musz Bailey,accompanied by her son Tim, yd
cut the ribbon during a ceremony Aug. 14 at the park entrance.
The park is located at 1 Morton Ave.,west of downtown at the �
confluence of the Elk and Mississippi rivers.
r°
"This is a great day for the city," Dietz said. "This is just a
jewel of a piece of property."
Elk River Parks and Recreation Chair Dave Anderson(left)talked
The park will be left largely in its natural state, offering about Bailey Point as Mayor John Dietz watched.
walking trails and a fishing area. About a dozen
members of the Bailey family were on hand for the There also was an element of luck, Anderson said. He
park's opening. The Baileys owned the point for many
years. The family was involved in the founding and described how he got a call one day from the city's
operation of Cretex in Elk River. former parks and recreation director, Bill Maertz, who
had moved on to a job in California. Maertz had been
"They were very active in the community for many, notified by a former colleague in Ramsey, telling him
many, many years so I think it's very appropriate that we
name this Bailey Point Nature Preserve," Dietz said. about the possibility of Minnesota Land Trust money
being available for purchases such as Bailey Point.
John Bailey Jr. said the Elk River community has been
wonderful to the Bailey family and they will enjoy the That's really what helped turn the tide, Anderson said,
park for generations to come. spurring negotiations and making the park happen.
"It's almost like a gift to the family," Bailey said.
Both he and the mayor recognized the volunteers, many
City Administrator Cal Portner and Elk River Parks and from the neighborhood, who have put in hundreds of
Recreation Commission Chairman Dave hours at the park since the city purchased it. Anderson
Anderson also spoke. said they took down the white wooden fence, removed
"Standing here, doing this has been a dream of mine for miles of barbed wire and hundreds of fence posts and
I can't tell you how long,"Anderson said. installed new fencing.
He called Bailey Point a "fabulous piece of property."
Old entrance gates were sandblasted by Elk River
He thanked John and Nancy Babcock, who had owned Machine, repainted and reinstalled at the park.
Bailey Point since 2003 and sold it to the city last year,
for making the park a reality. "It's this effort of community that is going to continue to
make this great,"Anderson said.
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Exhibit E
Movie, dig spur interest in archaeology at a young age
By Joni Astrup, Associate editor
Jonathon Bianchi of Rogers was just 13 when he participated in his first archaeological dig in Elk River nearly a
decade ago.
The public was invited to participate in six days of
He'd entertained thoughts of being an archaeologist digging at Bailey Point as part of the archaeological
ever since seeing an "Indiana Jones" movie at the dig that ran June 14-16 and 21-23.
age of 5. The public dig at the Alan Hoebelheinrich
farm in Elk River sealed the deal. Gregg Felber was another participant.
"There was never any question after that," Bianchi He is a retired Hennepin County deputy working on
said. Today, he's a senior at the University of a master's degree in cultural resource management
Minnesota majoring in anthropology and archaeology at St. Cloud State University.
kinesiology. Archaeology is a subdivision of
anthropology. "This is career two," Felber said.
"There's nothing cooler, I think, then finding
something that's been lost for thousands of years
and being the first person to pull it out and hold it in
your hand. It's just like the greatest feeling ever,"
said Bianchi, a 2009 graduate of Rogers High
School. "Plus, you get to be outside, you get to
work with cool people, you're always doing
something different, and you're not trapped in an
office."
a �
Jonathon Bianchi(left)and Bob Burgess worked on a test hole at Bailey
Point
ti a Brian McFarlane also volunteered at the dig. He has
lived in Elk River since the eighth grade and is
interested in all aspects of the area's history. This is
Jonathon Bianchi dug sediment out of a test hole at Bailey Point.The dirt the second dig he has been a part of in Elk River.
was then put on screens to be sifted in hopes of finding artifacts.After the
test hole is dug out to a certain depth,measurements are taken,notes are
written regarding the.fandings and the soils are classifier. Dr. Richard Rothaus, who led the Bailey Point dig,
said close to 100 volunteer's participated and more
Bianchi participated in a public archaeological dig than 100 people visited the dig.
this month at Bailey Point Nature Preserve in Elk
River. When asked what he'd like to do for a career, Rothaus said he first did work in Elk River in 2003
he indicated the dig around him and said: "This. I when the city hired him to do an archaeological and
would love to work in cultural resource historic survey.
management."
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Public archaeology digs were held in 2005, 2006
and 2007 at the Hoebelheinrich farm, and then this
year at Bailey Point.
Rothaus said the public digs are a chance to do
Archaeolvg something a little different.
Dig
"It's revitalizing to have a whole bunch of people
out who are interested and excited about history,"
he said.
A sign for the dig at Bailey Point
Rothaus is president of Trefoil and a research
After the survey was finished, Rothaus said as an associate at the Center for Heritage Renewal at
afterthought they offered a tour to the public and North Dakota State University.
were surprised when about 150 people showed up.
The Bailey Point dig was required as part of a grant
"So the suggestion was, let's do public digs in Elk the city received to purchase the property last year.
River," Rothaus said. "My first answer was, `No. The dig cost$25,163, with $11,223 coming from a
Absolutely not. You can't turn the public loose with Minnesota Historical Society grant, $1,000 from the
trowels, and they'll mess up the sites."' city and$12,940 in in-kind contributions from
Trefoil.
But he said they went ahead and it worked out very
well. "People were very careful," Rothaus said.
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Exhibit F
Draft Historic Walking Tour Brochures
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