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12-18-97 OHPC MIN11111' q� 11 11m HISTORIC CONTEXT STUDY CITY OF OTSEGO, MINNESOTA ROBERT C. VOGEL & ASSOCIATES HISTORIANS, ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND PRESERVATION PLANNERS 216 CLEVELAND AVENUE S.W. NEW BRIGHTON, MINNESOTA 55112-3508 (612) 604-0175 3 OCTOBER 1997 Robert C. Vogel President INTRODUCTION This document presents a proposal for development of local historic contexts for the City of Otsego, Minnesota. The Heritage Preservation Commission of the City of Otsego has secured a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant to finance the historic context study, which is expected to be carried out between December 1997 and June 1998. In response to a request for proposals (FRP) seeking a qualified historic preservation consultant to undertake the historic context study, Robert C. Vogel & Associates proposes to perform the requested services and prepare the products as specified in the RFP. Vogel & Associates proposes to address the needs expressed by the Otsego Heritage Preservation Commission (OHPC) in the RFP by achieving the following objectives: • Identify a minimum of five local historic contexts that reflect the city's historical, architectural, archaeological and cultural resources • Delineate a range of historic property types that represent the historic preservation goals of each local historic context • Work with the OHPC and volunteers to develop local historic contexts • Prepare a historic context document that is in compliance with the specifications described in the RFP and guidelines issued by the Secretary of the Interior and the Minnesota Historical Society Particular attention will be paid to the unique heritage of Otsego and to maintaining a balance between history, architecture history and archaeology preservation goals. The city's location on the Mississippi River, its rural character and susceptibility to the effects of urban sprawl make the Otsego project similar to other historic context studies carried out by Vogel in the cities of Cottage Grove, Newport, Stillwater, Red Wing, Eden Prairie, Farmington and Center City. Vogel & Associates will provide the City of Otsego with high-quality professional consulting services. Our proposal reflects the firm's long-standing commitment to providing the highest possible quality historical, archaeological, architectural and preservation planning services to local government historic preservation organizations at affordable cost. Through the years, Vogel's interdisciplinary approach to local government historic preservation planning has proven to be an efficient and effective way to provide communities (in particular, small cities) with local historic contexts that are detailed, reliable and applicable to the widest possible range of historic resources. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Robert C. Vogel & Associates is a small multidisciplined firm of historians, archaeologists, architectural historians and preservation planners serving clients throughout the Midwest since 1978. The majority of the firm's work is in the area of local government cultural resource management, including comprehensive planning, historical and archaeological resource surveys and public education. The firm also specializes in historical research and planning for largescale cultural resource investigations undertaken by federal and state government agencies. Robert C. Vogel (M.A., University of Minnesota), president of Vogel & Associates, will serve as principal investigator for the Otsego historic context study. An historical geographer with more than 20 years professional experience in historic preservation, Vogel is familiar with all areas of local government historic preservation. He meets the Secretary of the Interior's professional qualifications standards in history and architectural history and has broad experience in both prehistoric and historic sites archaeology. As an independent contractor, he has successfully completed more than 200 historic preservation survey and planning projects in twelve states. He has served since 1984 as City Historic Preservation Officer (CHPO) in the City of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, where he manages one of the region's most effective municipal heritage conservation programs, and has been retained as preservation advisor to the Newport HPC since 1992 and the Farmington HPC since 1996. Since 1989, he has been senior staff historian at Bear Creek Archeology, Inc. A copy of his resume is attached to this proposal. As principal investigator, Vogel will be responsible for assuring that all products meet the requirements specified in the RFP. He will be involved in all phases of the historic context study and will author the final report and historic context document. SIMILAR PROJECT EXPERIENCE Over the years, Vogel and his associates have provided historic preservation services for a wide range of cultural resource management projects. Local government historic context studies have been completed for the following: • Center City, MN • Clermont, IA • Cottage Grove, MN • Eden Prairie, MN (historic landscapes) • Farmington, MN • Fort Atkinson, IA • Lyon County, IA (historic farmsteads) • Newport, MN • Red Wing, MN • Stillwater, MN For most of these cities, Vogel has also conducted architecture/history and archaeological surveys and National Register and local heritage site registration studies. Robert Vogel is the principal author of the comprehensive historic preservation plans adopted by the City of Cottage Grove, MN, and the City of Fort Madison, IA. In addition, Vogel has developed historic contexts, National Register Multiple Property Documentation Forms and historic resource management guides for: • Archaeology of Allamakee County, IA (historic contexts and research guide) • Archaelogy of Clayton County, IA (historic contexts and research guide) • Des Moines to Burlington Highway Corridor, IA (historic contexts and surveys) 2 • Fargo Water Works, ND (historic context and documentation study) • Historic Farmsteads of Lyon County, Iowa (historic context and survey) • Historic Portage Trails in Minnesota (historic context, survey, multiple property nomination) • Rock Island District Army Corps of Engineers, IA, IL, MO, WI (historic contexts and cultural resources management plan) • U.S. Army Material Command, MN, WI, IA, MO (historic contexts for WW II industrial facilities) • Archaeology of Winneshiek County, IA (historic contexts and research guide) We are pleased to provide examples of some of the firm's previous historic context work and a list of references. SCOPE OF SERVICES The conceptual approach to historic preservation utilized by Vogel & Associates is based upon three assumptions: I. Effective historic preservation is best accomplished through comprehensive planning. This concept holds that historic preservation is public policy that applies the conservation ethic to the delivery of public services. Comprehensive planning is a dynamic process that organizes preservation activities in a logical sequence and integrates historic preservation policies with other city activities (land use planning, zoning, parks and recreation, economic development). The process also assures that historic context and survey work is carefully planned to meet the city's planning needs, its legal obligations, available funding, the interests of its citizens and the nature of its historical and archaeological resources. II. Historic contexts are the cornerstone of the preservation planning process. Historic contexts are an especially useful historic preservation tool because they facilitate survey and evaluation decisions and provide a cost-effective means of organizing historical, archaeological and architectural data. Context development includes compilation of historical data, evaluation of documentary sources, definition of local criteria for determining significance of individual properties and generation of property type classifications. Thus, in addition to providing an organizational framework for historical, archaeological and architectural data, historic contexts serve as a general synthesis of local history which may represent an important contribution to knowledge in its own right. III. Vogel & Associates is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to historic context development. The advantage of the interdisciplinary approach is that it produces a comprehensive, inclusive reconstruction of the major themes in a community's history that reflects the contributions of diverse groups over long spans of time. When researching the historic context of any community, we make every effort to ensure that the full range of potential cultural resources are treated adequately. Too often, we have found, local historic contexts have focused exclusively on architecture history: because most architectural landmarks were created for and used by the economically and culturally elite, the heritage of common people often goes largely unrecognized and is not preserved. Ignoring archaeology also places the cultural heritage of Native Americans and the formative years of Euro American settlement outside the scope of community historic preservation efforts. This imbalance can only be corrected through interdisciplinary historic contexts that reflect the relevant tools and concepts of history, anthropology, architectural history, art history and geography. The services we propose will be accomplished through the following general tasks: 1. Initiate the comprehensive historic preservation planning process in the City of Otsego by using local historic contexts to develop goals and priorities for identifying, evaluating, registering and preserving historic properties. 2. Develop local historic contexts on the basis of an intensive, systematic archival and literature search, including a careful examination of existing historic site data developed by previous archaeological and architectural surveys. Research sources will include a wide range of primary and secondary source materials located in local and regional depositories. In addition to written documents, we will attempt to record relevant oral history information. The information thus collected will be assembled, critically evaluated and organized by a professional staff well versed in public history and local heritage preservation theory. 3. Develop historical, architectural, archaeological and landscape property types associated with the local historic contexts. These property types will link the ideas contained in the historic contexts with the actual historic properties that have been identified on the ground in Otsego. Our knowledge of the Otsego area suggests that we will be able to identify and describe a wide range of property types, including notable examples of architectural styles and periods, farmsteads, archaeological sites, sites of cultural importance to local people, historically important transportation and industrial structures, farmlands and related farm structures, groups of historically important buildings and historic landscapes. 4. Develop historic context -specific goals, information needs and preservation planning recommendations. For each historic context, we will also assemble inventory data previously compiled on Otsego's historic buildings and sites, as well as a tentative list of properties eligible for registration. 5. Develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary strategy for future historic preservation survey work in the City of Otsego with clearly defined goals, research questions, priorities and cost estimates. Our final report will include recommendations for future historical and archaeological investigations as part of the comprehensive planning process. These recommendations will be relevant to the City's planning needs and the relationships between local historic resources and the state's historic preservation plan. 11 6. Attend meetings with the OHPC project director, City officials, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) staff and other interested parties to discuss project administration. We intend to establish and maintain a close working relationship with all of the stakeholders in the historic context study. 7. Meet with the OHPC a minimum of three times to present interim progress reports and the final products. Vogel & Associates is strongly committed to public participation in all phases of the historic context study, including working with volunteer researchers and local history enthusiasts. Prepare such reports as required by the OHPC. We will submit monthly written progress reports to the project director. The end product of the study will be a historic context document that will meet the City's technical and informational needs. Robert C. Vogel & Associates guarantees that all work performed for the Otsego project will meet or exceed the specifications contained in the RFP as well as the Secetary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. The fee for our services is seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) billed at the firm's standard hourly rates, which include indirect costs and overhead. In summary, the budget breaks down as follows: Principal Investigator (Vogel) 220 hours @ $30/hr Researcher/Editor 45 hours @ $20/hr 111 TOTAL $7,500.00 PERSONNEL AND SCHEDULING As described above, Robert C. Vogel will be principal investigator for the Otsego historic context study. A member of our staff, Kathleen F. Taylor, will be assigned to the project to assist with research and edit the historic context document. Ms. Taylor is a cultural anthropologist by training and is currently a student at the University of Minnesota; she has a strong background in local historic preservation and has been the editor/assembler of numerous historic preservation studies. We are prepared to begin work on this project immediately upon notification of award of the contract. The initial phase of project work will include development of a research plan and review of previous historic preservation work in Otsego with the project director. In addition, we will meet with the SHPO to discuss relevant aspects of project administration and scheduling. We estimate that this start-up phase will be carried out within two or three weeks and have budgeted 20% of Vogel's time for these activities. Historical research and historic context development will commence upon notification of award of contract and will be ongoing during the first four months of the project. A list of tentative historic contexts will be developed no later than 1 February 1998. 50% of Vogel's time and 50% of Taylor's have been budgeted for historic context research and development. Assembly of the historic context document, which will have been evolving during the preceding four months, will begin in February 1988 in order to meet the 1 April 1998 deadline for the draft context study. After receiving review comments from OHPC and SHPO, Vogel will produce the final report and historic context document, to be delivered to the City on or before 1 June 1998. 30% of Vogel's time and 50% of Taylor's have been allocated for document preparation. GRANT MATCHING FUNDS Since 1986, Vogel & Associates has had a policy of donating excess billable hours not covered by the project budget to our CLG clients for use as donated professional services grant match. Typically, this over -budget time (which is recorded on standard timesheets) amounts to 10% or more of our fee and can relieve some of the burden of "soft money" CLG match. 2 Robert C. Vogel & Associates Historians, Archaeologists and Preservation Planners 216 Cleveland Avenue S. W. New Brighton, Minnesota 55112-3508 Tel. (612) 604-0175 Fax (612) 604-0250 HISTORIC PRESERVATION REFERENCES Ms. Karen M. Finstuen Assistant City Administrator City of Farmington 325 Oak Street Farmington, MN 55024 (612) 463-1802 Mr. John Gertz Historic Preservation Specialist City of Eden Prairie 8080 Mitchell Rd. Eden Prairie, MN 55344-4485 (612) 949-8454 Mr. Lloyd Hackl Center City Heritage Preservation Commission 216 Summit Ave. Center City, MN 55012 (612) 257-6818 Mr. Galen Jackson Lyon County CLG 908 S. Tama Rock Rapids, IA 51246 (712) 472-2059 Ms. Patricia Maus Sugarloaf Interpretive Center Association 375 Library University of Minnesota -Duluth Duluth, MN 55812 (218) 726-8526 Mr. Larry Bodahl City Administrator City of Newport 596 7th Ave. Newport, MN 55055 (612) 459-5677 Mr. Ryan Schroeder City Administrator City of Cottage Grove 7516 80th St. So. Cottage Grove, MN 55016 (612) 458-2800 Dr. Scott Anfinson National Register Archaeologist Minnesota Historical Society 345 Kellogg Blvd. W. St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 (612) 296-5434 Cultural Resource Management Consultants Since 1978 OTSEGO HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMAUSSION MEETING 20 November 1997 7:00 pm at the Otsego City Hall AGENDA Approval of October minutes • CLG Grant - Update • Otsego book • Cemetery Book McDonald / Peavey House • Other business Adjourn Next Meeting - 18 December 1997 7:00 pm at the Otsego City Hall OHPC-S 3. WPS City of Otsego - Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Thursday, November 20, 1997 CHAIR Joy Swenson called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. Joanie Nichols, Elaine Norin, Frieda Lobeck, Janet Bridgland and Arlene Holan were present. Norm Schwanbeck was absent (excused). Ron Black was absent. Council Member Mark Berning attended. The first sentence of the eighth paragraph of the October 1997 minutes was amended to read FRIEDA MOVED THAT JOY BRING ALL OF THE DATA ON PAUL LAPLANT TO CITY HALL. The first word "Mo" in the ninth paragraph of the October 1997 minutes was amended to read "Maureen Galvin". JANET MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS CORRECTED, OF THE OCTOBER, 1997 MEETING. SECONDED BY ARLENE. MOTION CARRIED. Joy reported on the CLG Grant and the context study. Michael Robertson, Acting City Administrator, wrote to Robert C. Vogel & Associates requesting information about the work to be done and fees. Mark Berning said the city has received a response from Robert Vogel. The council still needs to approve Robert C. Vogel & Associates to do the historical context study. Elaine ordered fifty more copies of "Otsego in the Beginning". The price of printing went up this year to $15.78 per book. The sale price will remain $15.00. Joy will take five copies of the cemetery book to Wright County Historical Society for sale. Joy will also take some Otsego Heritage Preservation Commission brochures along for distribution. Janet moved to adjourn, Frieda seconded. The meeting adjourned at 8:17 PM. Respectfully submitted, Joanie Nichols, Secretary CITY OF TSEGO 8899 Nashua Avenue N.E. ON THE GREAT RIVER ROAD (612) 441-4414 Elk River, MN 55330 Fax: (612) 441-8823 November 24, 1997 Robert Vogel Vogel & Associates 216 Cleveland Avenue SW New Brighton, MN 55112-3508 Re: City of Otsego Historical Research Dear Mr. Vogel: This letter is official notice that your proposal has been accepted and that you are authorized to proceed with a Historic Context Survey for the City of Otsego. As we discussed the City of Otsego has been awarded a grant by the federal government which will partially fund this project. The City of Otsego will fund the remainder of the costs. As we also discussed, you will administer the federal grant, invoice the City monthly, and provide regular progress reports. If you have any questions, please give me a call. Sincerely, Michael Robertson City Administrator cc: City Council Heritage Preservation Committee City Staff OTSEGO HERITAGE PRESERVATION CONEMSSION MEETING 18 December 1997 7:00 pm at the Otsego City Hall Approval of November minutes o CLG Grant - Update • Otsego books Other business • Adjourn Next Meeting - 22 January 1998 7:00 pm at the Otsego City HaU OHPC-54.WPS City of Otsego - Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Thursday, December 18, 1997 CHAIR Joy Swenson called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. Joanie Nichols, Ron Black, Frieda Lobeck, Janet Bridgland and Norm Schwanbeck were present. Elaine Norin and Arlene Holan were absent (excused). Council Member Virginia Wendel, Mayor Larry Fournier and interim City Administrator Michael Robertson attended. Robert Vogel of Robert C. Vogel & Associates also attended. The second sentence of the fifth paragraph of the November 1997 minutes was amended to read THE PRICE OF PRINTING WENT UP THIS YEAR TO $15.78 PER BOOK. A third sentence was added to the fifth paragraph which read THE SALE PRICE WILL REMAIN $15.00. JANET MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES, AS CORRECTED, OF THE NOVEMBER, 1997 MEETING. SECONDED BY NORM. MOTION CARRIED. Robert Vogel discussed the historical context study and answered questions He will submit the monthly reports to Minnesota Historical Society and will give the Otsego Heritage Preservation Commission monthly narratives in plain English. The study will lay out a way for the OHPC to make decisions and evaluate sites. Information from history books, United States Government Surveys and old aerial photographs will be utilized. Joy had a copy of Pioneer Chronicles which was done for the bicentennial. It has a few articles and pictures that pertain to Otsego. Michael Robertson will draft a letter to the publisher for Joy to sign requesting permission to copy those articles. FRIEDA MOVED THAT JOY HAVE HELEN WHITE AT MHS REVIEW THE POEM 'WOMAN IN THE WILDERNESS' BY MYRA SNOW AS TO THE POSSIBILITY FOR PUBLICATION. SECONDED BY NORM. MOTION CARRIED. Ron reported on the subcommittee on the restoration of the old town hall. They recommend the planning commission complete the process on the requested variances. They also recommend stabilizing the strucure so it doesn't deteriorate further, have the Parks Commission contact Merlin Otto for an estimate for a decent set of drawings, and to have the subcommittee put together a brochure for fund raising purposes. Michael Robertson distributed a memo regarding a purchase order system for city finances. Mayor Larry Fournier thanked all the volunteers on the Heritage Preservation Commission, gave certificates of appreciation to everyone and invited everyone to enjoy the holiday snacks. Janet moved to adjourn, Frieda seconded. The meeting adjourned at 8:58 PM. i Respectfully submitted, Joanie Nichols, Secretary