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10/14/2003 - City Council Special MINUTES SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 14, 2003 4:30 P.M. TOUR - OLD TOWN HALL The entire City Council met with members of the Historical Society consisting of Martin DesLauriers, Gin Knight, Alyce Boike and staff to the Historical Society Joanna Foote, the City's Communications Coordinator. Joanna provided a summary of the displays and shared comments about the public Open House that the Historical Society held on September 21 at the Old Town Hall. Historical Society Member Knight explained the new filing system the Historical Society has developed to organize information on local families and other information of historical purpose that can be made available for access by the public. Historical Society Member DesLauriers stated that adequate space is an ongoing problem for the Historical Society; ifthe City Council is not able to make arrangements for more storage, it might be in the best interest of the City to give the historical documents to another entity, such as the County Historical Society. He stated that Historical Society Member Wachter has a plan to add onto the west side of the Old Town Hall with a space to be designated for storage purposes. City Coucilmember Carlson stated a concern that any addition to the Old Town Hall building would ruin the historical integrity of the building. Historical Society Member Knight also emphasized the need for storage, stating that maps, farm relics and artifacts are being donated to the Historical Society and should not be stored in the Old Town Hall. Mayor Geagan summarized the concerns of the Historical Society to be: 1) what will happen to the future of the Eagan Historical Society to attract new members; 2) what will happen to the donation of historical artifacts; and 3) how can the City provide additional storage space for the Historical Society. City Councilmember Carlson stated that one possibility would be to move the Brown house from the property on Lone Oak Road now owned by the Copelands to Thresher Fields, which could be restored for historical preservation and used for storage. Mayor Geagan suggested that a City Councilmember or members meet with the Historical Society regarding the possibility of the house being used for storage at a later date. Mayor Geagan and City Councilmember Carlson volunteered to be the City Councilmember representatives on the Historical Society. City Administrator Hedges stated that with the Diamond T Ranch closing, the City Council is planning to recognize and honor Carol Thomas and the Diamond T Ranch under Recognitions at the October 21 City Council meeting. He further stated that the City is hopeful that Carol will donate 'an artifact from the Diamond T Ranch to be preserved by the City as part of its historical heritage. City Councilmember Carlson suggested that the City ask Carol to consider the donation of a horse- drawn wagon that could be used for 4th of July parades and other community events memorializing the Diamond T Ranch and its contribution to the community. The City Administrator was asked to contact Carol Thomas with an invitation to the meeting on October 21 and to pursue the donation of the wagon or some other historical artifact. Mayor Geagan thanked the Historical Society members for their dedication and commitment.