CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL – meeting convened at 6:30 p.m.

Members present: Audrey Alton, Betty Most, Ursula Peterson, Rick Burgsteiner (arrived 6:32 p.m.), Jeanne Zirbel, Lori Kukuska

Members absent: Mike Woolsey

Staff present: Buddy Lucero, Planning Director; Matt Parent, Planning Intern

Guests present: Marge Stokke

APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES –

Marge Stokke wanted to note that she told Jeanne Zirbel the wrong year for the youth center that was housed in the Ingram Building. The correct year was 1978-1979.

1. Resolution for City Council Regarding Historic Recognition of Ingram Center Building

Lucero made the changes that were recommended and approved at the last meeting. The date that it will be brought before City Council also changed to April 22, 2008.

Lucero suggested that the Resolution be put on consent for the next Council meeting. It can then be taken off consent at the meeting and have Mike Woosley say a few words about why it is important to recognize the building and why the Historic Preservation Commission wants to have the plaque displayed. The cost for the 14" x 14" plaque is approximately $682. Everyone was in agreement that this was an acceptable way to present the Resolution to the City Council. Lucero will draft a cover letter and distribute to the appropriate persons. Zirbel will contact Woosley with regards to the Resolution for the next meeting as well as his attendance at the Historic Preservation Commission meetings.

Lucero added that the Historic Preservation Commission members may want to attend the City Council meeting on April 22, 2008 at 6:30 p.m.

2. Update – Leadership River Falls Plaque Project

Lucero and Zirbel met with the members of the Leadership River Falls Group regarding the plaque project they are currently working on for the downtown area buildings. The Historic Preservation Commission will need to reach a consensus on what thickness the plaques should be, the lettering on the plaques, the name and date that will be displayed for each building and whether they want a photograph of the building or an artist drawn sketch.

Lucero did mention that if the Commission decides to go with a sketch the date and content of the photograph is not as important as the artist can exclude items that were not present at the time of its original construction.

Peterson noted that one of the problems is that the buildings have changed so much over time and for many of the buildings there is not a picture of it in its original construction. She feels that if the group decides on a sketch, it should be done as detailed and historic as possible.

Kukuska stated that she feels that the interesting part of the history is that the buildings have changed in style and design. Many people think the buildings are now as they have always been and that is not the case. A sketch of the earliest photograph that can be found will still show a significant difference in some of the buildings appearance from their original construction to now.

Lucero stated that they put the date of the photograph on the sketch so people know the date of the sketch as well as the date in the building. This will help in cases where photographs of the original construction are not available. He suggested that the Commission selects a few photos they would like the artist to work on for the next meeting so they can get an idea of what they like and do not like for the final plaques.

3. Update – Research Achieved on Freight and Railway Express

Lucero stated that the Commission needs to decide why they want the building designated. There are funds available through the Department of Transportation to help with the moving and restoring of the building. In order to apply for these funds the building must be state designated as historic. He also feels that the best way to gain support for moving and/or repurposing the building is to have a plan in place that keeps the building historic as well as functional.

Kukuska added that the new location for the Freight and Railway Express Depot building needs to make sense so that it may be used. If it is placed in an inconvenient area, people will not use it.

Burgsteiner felt that the group really needs to decide what the building will be used for if it is designated and moved and develop a plan.

Peterson stated that it is also important to note that the building was a passenger depot from 1878 to 1893 in addition to the freight depot. All of the other buildings in the surrounding area from this time period are gone, adding an additional reason why it is so important to save this building.

Lucero feels that the Commission should know the eventual use, cost to move and the cost to restore before it asks to have the building designated. He will research whether there is an abstract for the building.

Kukuska can take measurements and create visuals of what the building can look like after restoration to help move the project towards designation.

4. Ideas for May Historic Preservation Month Projects

Alton is going to work on the posters she has displayed in the past to update them before May.

Zirbel would like to set a date in May to have the swinging bridge designated. She would like to invite last years 3^rd grade class as well as the Mayor to the designation.

Burgsteiner stated that even if the plaques are not completed for the Leadership River Falls project it would still be appropriate to have an article or announcement in the Journal that it is in the works. It could also be included on the Council Agenda so that it is in the minutes and on video. Kukuska feels that it is important to bring awareness to River Falls for what the Historic Preservation Commission and Leadership River Falls group is doing.

Burgsteiner suggested that the Commission puts in place a process to photograph each of the downtown buildings on a regular basis from this point forward on yearly or biyearly intervals to document the changes so they are always there in the future. Lucero also felt that this was a great suggestion as there are often panoramic photos of the area but individual buildings have not usually been documented.

ADJOURNMENT – Meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jessica Urbach, Recording Secretary