05-22-97 OHPC MINCity of Otsego - Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting
Thursday, May 22, 1997
The meeting was called to order at 7:15 PM by chair Joy Swenson. Members present
were Janet Bridgland, Joanie Nichols, Elaine Norin, Ron Black, and Norm Schwanbeck.
Freida Lobeck and Arlene Holan were absent. Council Member Suzanne Ackerman
attended.
The third sentence of the first paragraph of the April 24, 1997, minutes was corrected to
read "Janet Bridgland had an excused absence."
RON MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL, 1997 MEETING, AS
CORRECTED. SECONDED BY NORM. MOTION CARRIED.
Joy reported on the MHS Workshop for Heritage Preservation Commissions held on May
14 and 15, 1997. She felt we had enough information to nominate the Otsego Cemetery
for the National Register of Historic Places. We'd need to get documents prepared, get on
the council agenda, submit the documents to the council and ask the city council for
authorization to submit the application to the National Register of Historic Places.
ELAINE MOVED TO APPLY FOR PUTTING THE OTSEGO CEMETERY ON THE
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. SECONDED BY RON. MOTION
APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.
The Elk River Parade and Festival will be August 10 or 11 with a transportation theme.
Ron will be in charge of the truck/float and will be talking to Jeff Bartheld. Ron has one
fire truck that will be available. He will put a sign on it.
The commission budget and expenditures were discussed. The commission members
want to know how much money came in on the book account for "Otsego In The
Beginning."
Otsego Heritage Day will be October 5, 1997. We will need to set up on that day
because there is a wedding scheduled on October 4, 1997. Norm will chair Otsego
Heritage Day.
The commission discussed the council's earlier request to know the commission's plans
and goals for the next five years. This will be put on the agenda for our June meeting and
everyone could think about goals. The following ideas were discussed:
1. context study
2. oral history interviews
3. cemetery book and maps
4. Otsego book from 1880 to the present
5. being more aggressive in gathering documents for archives
6. annual Heritage Day
7. program for schools
8. find volunteers to transcribe oral history interview tapes
Otsego Fun Day will be July 12, 1997. Joy thought we should have a person at a table
outside to answer questions. We could display brochures, poems and old calendars, and
give a sales pitch to recruit volunteers for transcription of tapes.
Ron moved to adjourn, Norm seconded. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted, Joanie Nichols, Secretary