03-08-22 OHPC Meeting MinutesOTSEGO HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION
OTSEGO PRAIRIE CENTER
MARCH 08, 2022
7:00 PM
Call to Order.
This meeting was called to order at 6:57 PM.
Roll Call: Chair: Toni Seroshek; Commissioners: Chris Wilson, Gail Anderson, Cara Husak, John
Waldron, Kathleen Beaudry; City Council: CM Brittany Moores.
2. Annual Business:
2.1 Election of the 2022 Heritage Preservation Commission Chair, Vice-Chair &
Secretary.
Commissioner Gail motioned to appoint Commissioner Toni as Chair. Seconded by
Commissioner Chris. All in favor. Motion carried. 5-0.
Commissioner Gail motioned to appoint Commissioner Chris as Vice-Chair. Seconded by
Commissioner Chris. All in favor. Motion carried. 5-0.
Commissioner Gail motioned to appoint Commissioner Cara as Secretary. Seconded by
Commissioner Chris. All in favor. Motion carried. 5-0.
3. Consider Agenda Approval:
Commissioner Chris to approve the agenda with amendments. Seconded by Commissioner
Kathy. All in favor. Motion carried. 5-0
4. Consider the following minutes:
4.1 February 8, 2022.
Commissioner Chris motioned to approve the minutes as written. Seconded by
Commissioner Gail. All in favor. Motion carried. 5-0
5. Updates:
5.1 Updates on City Council actions.
City Council CM Brittany updated OHP on City Council Action Items.
5.2 Updates on Heritage Preservation items.
Otsego City Planner Dan Licht will visit us next meeting to review OHPC next steps on
Old City Hall.
6. Update on Otsego View Article.
No updates on Summer or Fall Edition
7. Update on Old City Hall.
Commissioner Cara reported out on the following information:
Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants
I was able to meet with members of the Historic Preservation Office on February 16th, 2022 and review
next steps for the grant program. The HPO members (Ryan Maciej, Design Reviewer assigned to Wright
County, ryan.maciej@mnhs.org and Melinda Hutchinson, Grants Office, melinda.hutchinson@mnhs.org)
were very nice to talk with and referenced that they will be available to meet to have another discussion
if needed. More information about the program is available in the grants manual. The sections on
National Register Property Evaluation and National Register Nomination begin on page 91.
Here are the steps to apply for a Grant:
1. Apply for a Small Grant (under 10k @ Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants) to hire
a consultant to do a property evaluation to determine eligibility for the National Register of
Historic Places – next deadline is Friday, April 8
2. If approved, we will receive bids for consulting services (usually around $5-8K)
3. We pick the consultant and the consultant will search property, do additional research of the
property, write his/her report/recommendation of the property eligibility
4. If the consultant deems that the property is eligible, he/she will fill out the grant form for the
National Register of Historic Places and send it to the State Review Board for consideration
5. If approved, it goes to Washington for approval
6. If approved, the property will then be added to the National Register of Historic Places
Note: If the property is deemed eligible for NRHP and does not get approved/registered, the property is
still eligible to receive grant services through the state or county. There is not a limit to the amount of
grants submitted Otsego, unless you are submitting a grant for the same purpose, at that time one
project grant needs to be closed out, before another project grant can begin.
• Legacy Grant Services are through application to the State Office and if approved, they will fund
construction to get the property ADA compliant and additional restoration needs.
• Capital Grant Services are through application to the State Office and if approved, they will
match 1 for 1 city funding for construction to get the property ADA compliant and additional
restoration needs.
• Community Development Project funding is also available through Wright County and is a part
of services in the past like the American Recovery Act and National Preservation Act. This
funding is determined by the State Legislature each year.
• There are also other grants available other media types (i.e, historic signage, movies, literature,
etc).
Commissioner Cara is working with CM Brittany to provide the name of the city staff member that will
work OHPC to start the small grant application.
Melinda confirmed that the City of Otsego and the OHPC both have log ins for the Grants site. The first
deadline is April 8th. An application requesting $10,000 or less must be submitted by 11:59 pm on April
8, 2022. Applicants will receive notification approximately eight weeks after the application deadline
date. Funded projects can start date on July 1, 2022, and the project end date is July 1, 2023.
Next deadline, if we need an extension, is Friday, July 8, 2022. Here is a link to the Grant Deadlines.
Next OHPC Meeting: Commissioner Cara and OHPC will plan to speak to 1st step in next OHPC Meeting
with Dan Licht Otsego City Planner – Apply for Small Grant to get a consultant to write a report about
Old City Hall, including history, structural details, etc. This can be used in the future for any Otsego
historical media and archival records.
8. Amendments.
8.1 River Community Center Logging Industry History Event.
March 17th 9:30 AM CST.
Commissioner Chris and Gail are interested in attending and learning about historical
highlights that may include Otsego. Registration costs may be covered by City.
8.2 Contact with Ron Shepard
Contacted City and wanted to talk to someone about “Women in the Wilderness”
publication. His wife is related to Cooley and may have historical items to share with
OHPC.
9. Adjourn.
Commissioner Kathy motioned to adjourn. Seconded by Commissioner Cara. All in favor.
Motion carried. 5-0
Adjourned at 7:59 PM.
Minutes taken/written by Commissioner Cara.