4.1 Draft HPC Minutes 09-26-2024Meeting of the Elk River
Heritage Preservation Commission
Held at the Elk River City Hall
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Members Present:ChairLance Lindberg, Commissioners Linda Campbell, Jayne Dietz, Zachary Griffiths,and
Gavin Tuckey
Members Absent:None
Council Liaison:Councilmember Cory Grupa
Staff Present:Community Development Director Zack Carlton
1.Call Meeting to Order
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission
was called to order at 6:01p.m. by ChairLindberg.
2.Pledge of Allegiance
Chair Lindberg led the commission in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3.ConsiderAgenda
Moved by CommissionerDietzand seconded by CommissionerGriffithsto approve theSeptember
26, 2024,Heritage Preservation Commissionagenda.
Motion carried 5-0.
4.Consider Minutes
Commissioner Dietz requested an amendment to the minutes for item 5.1 and have it read that all the
commissioner present at the Farmers Market did an excellent job of communicating with the market
visitors.
Moved by CommissionerDietz and seconded by Commissioner Campbellto approve theJuly 18,
2024, Heritage Preservation minutes, with the above-referenced change.
Motion carried 5-0.
5.1Review Bylaws
Mr. Carltonreviewed the bylaws and asked the commissioners forany changes.
Councilmember Grupa asked the commissioners to review the attendance policy. Mr. Carlton explained the
policy for an excused absence by communicating at least 24 hours in advance.
Chair Lindberg asked for clarification of the number of excused absences allowed. Mr. Carlton explained
you can miss two of the six meetings for the calendar year.
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Commissioner Griffiths asked about Article XI –Training and if it was only for the State Historic
Preservation Office (SHPO) conference.
Mr. Carlton stated if there areany addition training opportunities to contact him. The SHPO conference
requires one HPC member attend each year.
Moved by Commissioner Griffiths and seconded by Commissioner Tuckey to adopt the Bylaws of
the Heritage Preservation Commission as presentedin the staff report. Motion carried 5-0.
5.2Preserve MN Conference
Commissioner Dietzshared her experiences at the Preserve MN Conference last weekin Red Wing and felt
the city itself was very historic, with many homes and businesses having been restored. She explained some
of the highlights of some sessions she attended. One session discussed how walking tours were one of the
best ways to get people on board with a city’s historic value. She brought back some Red Wing packets of
information and shared with the commissioners.She appreciated the opportunity to attend and encouraged
other commissioners to take advantage of futureopportunities.
5.3Other Business
Mr. Carlton stated the Finance department provided him with the Comprehensive Improvement Plan (CIP)
and he will submit a budget line item for the water tower site. The budget will include funds to hire a
consultant to designplans forsome type of historical display at the water tower site. He stated the RFP will
go out early next year and he will include representatives from the HPC throughout the project. The
commission discussed a replica of the downtown bandshell that is located near the Parrish Avenuebridge
and wondered if that could be incorporated into the water towersite design.They also discussed the
available hitching posts that could somehow be incorporated.
Mr. Carlton reported that the UtilitiesCommission isin the early stages of exploring what it would take to
decommission and convert their generation plant near the dam into a history/education museum or center.
He stated a subcommittee may be created and grant opportunities are numerous for a project like this. The
power engines/generators would have to be sold and the building would then be available.
Commissioner Tuckey updated the commission on places that would digitize records. He stated the places
he reached out to did not do optical character recognition. He mentioned the Minnesota Digital Library,
where you submitor “donate”the items/books and they digitize andstore the document. He stated he
thought that meant giving them the actual book as a donation.
Commissioner Griffiths explained all historic sites retain things and therefore we would prefer the right to
own the digital file. He stated there are numerous sources for digitizing but there is an unknown cost for
doing the service and then storing the digital files. He felt the Growth of Sherburne County book would be
a few hundred dollars.
Commissioner Dietz explained she spoke to the library dean at State Cloud State and discussed a project
she was working on,and the costs associated with it.
Commissioner Tuckey asked what the goal of the HPC was in digitizing particularrecords.
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Mr. Carlton felt the goal would be for the public to access records/documents/books pertinent to Elk River
history.
Commissioner Campbell asked if the library or the History Center could house these records that the HPC
felt important to digitize them.
Mr. Carlton provided an update on the downtown small area plan and explained the survey had just closed
and results were forthcoming.
6.Adjournment
Moved by CommissionerGriffiths and seconded by CommissionerCampbellto adjourn the
meeting of the Heritage Preservation Commission.
Motion carried5-0.
The meeting adjourned at7:04 p.m.
Minutes prepared by Jennifer Green.
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Lance Lindberg, Chair
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Tina Allard, City Clerk