Document - Historical Society Minutes - Historical Society Meeting Minutes - 2/3/2015MEETING NOTES/MINUTES
EAGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TUESDAY
February 3, 2015
3:40 p.m. – 2nd Floor Conference Room A/B
Members present: Chair Mary Ellen Voracek, Vice-Chair Kim Hazel, Bernie Jansen, Ted Ringberg and
Dawn Simpson. Also present was Communication Coordinator Joanna Foote.
MEETING MINUTES & SECRETARY
The minutes from January 6, 2015 were approved and accepted with noted corrections.
1914 Town Hall Painting & Prints Update
Foote gave an update with sales of the painting. As soon as Landis signs and numbers more canvases
she will be able to finish the last step, which is to varnish each one. There were questions from
committee members whether family members and friends of the people portrayed in the painting were
aware of their relatives being depicted and whether this might influence additional purchases. It was
suggested that a special mailing with a black and white copy of the painting go out to families making
them aware and to give them an opportunity to purchase.
Update on Council Decisions to Date
The City Council has approved $290,000 for repairs of the Town Hall and has since approved the
retention of the architects to create plans and specifications so construction bids can be let for
construction to occur in the spring.
Foote indicated that the Community Development staff has an annual opportunity to request
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) The Council agenda for the meeting this evening includes
an item for the Council to authorize that $100,000 of these funds be requested for the Town Hall
project. It is not yet known whether the intent, if awarded, would be to replace a portion or augment
the $290,000 allocation.
1914 Town Hall Building Reconstruction
The architectural team visited and evaluated the Town Hall this week. A portion of the team reviewed
structural and smoke issues while others reviewed the historic preservation considerations. They took
plywood off the wall of the building to see the extent of fire and structural damage, cut a hole in the
floor boards, and, crawled under the building looking at the floor joists and the extent of damage below
the floorboards. It doesn’t look as though they will attempt to preserve the fire damage as part of an
historic exhibit, but will evaluate this for merit. Members discussed this possibility and determined their
that the fire had been thoroughly documented and there were a number of photographs depicting the
aftermath if they chose to do an exhibit and therefore did not have any strong interest in creating an
“exhibit” of the structure itself as had been suggested by MNHS staff.
Foote stated to her surprised that there was almost no smell of smoke remaining in the building.
Although she was told, that when the humidity starts to get high, the smell may be emitted.
Because of how the building is used, the contractor who specialized in smoke abatement said that they
will approach this building as if it were a home. They will want to make it “livable” meaning that don’t
want to worry about the visitors that may have breathing problems. He also visited Fire Administration
basement where the artifacts are being stored and said he could detect almost no smoke from those
items either. They talked about the steps they would have to take to clean up the building. An example
they used was removing wainscoting board by board and taking it out to be cleaned. Further updates
will be provided as work continues.
Grant/Fundraising Opportunities
Voracek said that she receive a phone message stating that EHS received a grant from the Eagan
Foundation Community Grant Fund. Foote had submitted a request to the Eagan Foundation money
and the committee receives $525 dollars toward exterior lighting.
MNHS next grant round is in April for project costs up to $10,000. The round for larger amounts must
be submitted in July. For these larger amounts, it must first be reviewed and pre-approved by the
MNHS before you can proceed with the process. Larger grants are not awarded until the fall.
The committee mentioned two local companies Dakota Electric and Wenzel Heating and Air, to see if
they would be interested in donating. Jansen mentioned that Dakota Electric also has grants available
for community needs. Foote asked Jansen if Dakota County Historical Society provides any grant
funding and was told they do not.
Other
Foote mentioned that she had been told that Channel 4 news ran an updated story about the
restoration of the Old Town Hall and showing old interior shots. No one in attendance had seen the
coverage.
Jansen noted the annual Dakota County Historical Society meeting has been moved back to March 28,
2015 to sometime in April.
Hazel donated a potholder from the Shattuck Dairy Mill Depot that was located in Harold’s Center at
Highway 13 and Cedar Avenue. A color picture of the potholder is attached. She also mentioned that she
saw Alyce Bolke’s daugher at a funeral she recently attended for Marlene Adam.
The Police Department is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015and Foote is presently working on an
article for the newsletter. She will be doing a series in ten year increments and is presently looking for
stories that pertain to the police that took place between the years of 1965 to 1975. All timeframes will
be researched throughout the year. She also mentioned that in her research she found minutes that
showed Ringberg was appointed to the Planning Commission in 1965.
Included in the packet are the following articles: Chaska finds a new home for an old house, Eagan Town
Hall art for sale, obituary for Leone B. Wachter and 2 articles on Bill Wolston’s life and his dedication to
Dakota County and his passing and his remembrance card.
NEXT MEETING
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at 3:30 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.