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09-19-2008 HPC MIN MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION HELD AT THE ELK RIVER CITY HALL WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 Members Present: Chair Lance Lindberg, Debra Mortensen, Kristin Harris and Kurt Kragness Members Absent: Councilmember Larry Farber, Matt Christiaansen, Steve Rohlf, and Molly Nadeau-Peterson Staff Present: Environmental Administrator Rebecca Haug Environmental Technician Nicki Blake-Bradley 1. Call Meeting to Order Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission was called to order at 6:13 p.m. by Chair Lance Lindberg. 2. Consider September 18, 2008 HPC Agenda MOVED BY COMMISSIONER KRAGNESS AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HARRIS TO ACCEPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 3. Consider August 21, 2008 HPC Minutes MOVED BY COMMISSIONER HARRIS AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MORTENSEN TO ACCEPT THE AUGUST 21, 2008 MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. 4. Historic Neighborhood Update No new information has been obtained regarding historic neighborhoods. Environmental Administrator Haug contacted Mr. Babcock but has not heard anything from him yet. 5. Book Proposals Update Commissioner Mortensen has backed off a bit on the book to ensure that she is not missing important details and to keep from rushing the project. She stated that she wants this to be a quality product that everyone will want to purchase for themselves or as gifts. She has kept her focus on the past history. Commissioner Mortensen has sent an initial email to Arcadia concerning the book. Chair Lindberg stated that he agrees with slowing down the project if she is feeling rushed. The commissioners expressed gratitude for her service on this project. The book may not be ready by Christmas. Environmental Technical Blake- Bradley will write a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for the paper requesting historical documents to be copied for possible entries in the book. Heritage Preservation Commission Page 2 September 18, 2008 ------------------------------------- 6. Planning Commission Items Nothing was on the Planning Commission agenda that pertains to the Heritage Preservation Commission. Environmental Administrator Haug updated the commission that the Adams’ proposal for the home on Main Street was denied on both the Planning Commission and City Council levels. It was essentially viewed as spot zoning and a parking issue was discussed. Environmental Administrator Haug added her opinion that the letter from the HPC concerning the project had an impact upon the commissioners and councilmembers, which then helped them reach their decision. 7. Historic Water Tower Discussion Community Development Director Gongoll and Environmental Administrator Haug th attended the Utilities Commission meeting on September 9 and requested that they consider postponing destruction of the water tower for one year (October 2009) to give the HPC an opportunity to save the tower. The Commission was receptive to the proposal but expressed concern that “ownership” of the tower change. They no longer wish to be responsible for it. Commissioner Dietz was in favor of returning the tower to its original colors. Environmental Administrator Haug felt it was encouraging that they are willing to let the HPC try to save the tower. Commissioner Kragness commented that the State has two grant programs which might be worth checking into. The first is for Local Government Units (LGU’s) only and pertains to capital projects. The “catch” is that the structure must be on the National Register as a property. He questioned whether the tower has a chance of becoming one. Discussion followed regarding historical references to meetings with people concerning national registration. Handke (Elk High Stadium) received funding from this program for the “pit” restoration. The second grant program is the Grants in Aid, which pertains to acquisition, restoration, and preservation. One more grant round will be conducted in January 2009. Commissioner Kragness suggested speaking with Mandy Scapallo who is in charge of funding. He commented that ownership will likely be a key issue for fundraising. Discussion of 501C-3 organizations followed. The City of Elk River does have one (for Parks and Recreation). A question of whether the Historical Center would want to own the tower was raised. Commissioner Kragness stated that the Historical Center currently maintains several buildings or structures beyond the main facility and would only be interested in accepting the water tower if there were funds for maintenance available (on a continual basis). 8. Grant Update Environmental Administrator Haug reviewed the grant application information and determined that the one regarding photos would not apply since the focus is toward preservation of existing photos. She added that the portion regarding publications would only apply if the HPC was actually publishing the work rather than having Arcadia do it. Environmental Administrator Haug added that she contacted someone regarding the grants and was told that a pre-grant application must be filled out to have any chance of being funded. Typically, no grants are awarded without one. A pre-grant application may be done before the grant round in January. Heritage Preservation Commission Page 3 September 18, 2008 ------------------------------------- Environmental Administrator Haug requested more direction as to how the commission wants to proceed regarding the forums. There is a lot of uncertainty with this topic. Commissioner Kragness stated that a general forum could be done for the entire community, regarding a discussion on preserving community neighborhoods. He felt this might generate more interest. Another option would be to hire a facilitator who could do it. John Kuester was a potential local facilitator. A third option would be to look for other grant funding opportunities such as through the Initiative Foundation, Three Rivers Community Foundation, etc. Discussion followed regarding the amount of paperwork required for each of the possibilities. A comment was made that the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) requires a large amount of paperwork for any funds they allocate. A recommendation was made for staff to look for alternative funding rather than applying to the MHS. 9. Other Business – no other items were discussed. 10. Schedule Next HPC Meeting and Identify Agenda Items The next meeting will be held on November 20, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. in the Uppertown Conference Room due to a lack of items for discussion at an October meeting. Chair Lindberg will officially cancel the October meeting. Items will include regular and Planning Commission items. 11. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned by Chair Lindberg at 6:47 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Nicki Blake-Bradley Environmental Technician