OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Rochester Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting - March 25, 2026 (Note: Agenda Lists March 24)

Boards and Commissions — Wednesday, March 25, 2026
BodyRochester, Minnesota
SessionBoards and Commissions
DateWednesday, March 25, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:09:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

And we are recording.

0:07

Okay.

0:08

Welcome everybody to the March 24th Heritage Preservation Commission meeting.

0:12

Before we call to order, we start each meeting with a 15-minute open public comment period.

0:17

This is an opportunity for the public to comment to the commission regarding items that do not have a public hearing on today's agenda.

0:24

Each speaker has up to four minutes.

0:26

The commission will not discuss or respond to any comments made during this time.

0:29

Please be concise and mindful of your time during your remarks so that everyone wishing to speak has the opportunity to do so.

0:36

With that said, will the first speaker please step forward?

0:39

Clearly state your name into the microphone, and you will have four minutes to the uh nice reward.

1:10

It's nice to award people who and it's nice for people to know that other people care uh about them being involved in the effort.

1:19

And heritage preservation to me is a worthwhile endeavor, and I'm hoping people get rewarded for it.

1:27

And I don't mean monetary, I mean just uh just a reward, and sometimes even knowing bad as a um now when it comes to the inventory, I really believe, and I've said this many times before.

1:40

I mean, some of those buildings have been there like 10 years, and they when initially they made all the potential landmarks now for the inventory.

1:49

They are the intent was to do it in a couple of years.

1:52

It was never meant that would be a lifelong thing.

1:59

So I'm hoping you come up with a specific detailed plan and working with Molly, it's not pressuring Molly either.

2:08

It's working with Molly, so to know exactly when things are coming approximately when things are coming up.

2:15

So that there's a so there's some progress, the timetable.

2:19

So even we know like are we on schedule or not?

2:23

Just to leave it up in the air continually for year after year.

2:27

I don't think constantly because even the property owners, they deserve to know where they are on the landmark list.

2:34

And so I think it's really bad that it just year after year after year.

2:40

And hopefully, again, stretch it out or whatever, when at least call up with some kind of proposal.

2:45

There are a number of buildings like IBM Computer Site, they're already landmark bed, C C High Schale, Hotel, Chicago Bridge, Great West Po, the Darry Queen, First Presbyterian Church here, one of the older churches.

3:02

These really deserve just to be landmarked because every, I mean, everyone knows it's been a goal.

3:07

It's kind of so try to do it as concisely as you can we can get away with.

3:13

Try to just do it and just be done with it.

3:16

If some of them don't deserve it, then they deserve to not be on the list.

3:19

And we should just get to it.

3:21

Anyway, that's my opinion.

3:24

Good luck to you in doing that.

3:26

All right, thank you all.

3:27

Thank you, Ben, for everything and everybody else.

3:30

Thank you, Mr.

3:30

Skullnik.

3:32

Uh will the next speaker please step forward and clearly state your name into the microphone and you'll have four minutes.

3:46

I'm I'm not seeing the green light actually.

3:48

Can you push?

3:50

There you go.

3:51

Now it's on okay.

3:53

My name is Barb Hudson.

3:54

Um, a couple of things.

3:56

I want to uh applaud the efforts to uh do the awards for the community um with regards to uh heritage preservation.

4:05

I think it goes a long way for education, public education, which is part of your purview.

4:11

Um, when people see that people are being recognized for this, they want to know more about heritage preservation.

4:18

So uh I again applaud those efforts.

4:21

The second thing is again um Indian Heights.

4:24

I see it is on the agenda for tonight.

4:26

I hope that it we have uh direction to go forward with that.

4:31

I was speaking with the um the uh city council folks this week, and um it was made clear to me that we are dragging our feet with that and why is it taking so long?

4:45

And I told them that I would get back to them and let them know what the plans are to go forward.

4:50

Um this has been years in the making, and so I'd like to give them some concrete direction as far as dates and times.

4:58

Thank you.

5:00

I was speaking with the um the uh city council folks this week and um it was made clear to me that we are dragging our feet with that and why is it taking so long and i told them that i would get back to them and let them know what the plans are to go forward um this has been years in the making and so i'd like to give them some concrete direction as far as dates and times thank you thank you miss howson will the next speaker please step forward state your name and you have four minutes john creasel mr president members of the commission i compliment you that you are on this commission um relative to that uh i compliment you also that you're gonna be paying attention to um reinstating awards this might be premature but barb hudson deserves one and probably Barry Skullnik I mean they're here all the time and time is the most important element that we have and they're here all the time and I hope that you will give consideration to uh giving them awards um certainly not solid gold but uh something appropriate uh that said something very exciting um it relates to not assuming anything uh uh what I'm going to be making reference to uh and this is a discovery by one of our restorians bunny kettle camp um rochester had a bell it's absolutely incredible that she discovered this oh you're gonna I didn't see you here are you gonna speak well oh okay well let's keep keep it to the commission please thank you oh okay well I'll ignore that she's here but that said she no I can't not like you I just so I'd wish that she had come before so that I could say I totally resport support her uh would now that she's here it could say she deserves an award or as well as an historian but she's going to be revealing some very exciting information to you that nobody has been aware of for uh I don't know um certainly um a bit after 1954 so with that I uh thank you for your time and Bunny you didn't have your name up here oh okay okay I'll write it in for you all right thank you Mr.

7:32

Krizel and and it looks like then the next speaker uh please step up and state your name you have four minutes hi I'm Bunny Cattlecamp and I'm going to hand well can I have you actually hand that to coordinator Patterson Lundgren to the staff and she can pass it out and she can yes thank you.

7:53

Beautiful thank you I'm Bunny Kettlecamp I live at 232 7th Avenue Southeast in Rochester Minnesota.

8:38

Okay sounds good we'll we'll give her about 30 seconds here to pass that out and then go ahead.

8:43

Sorry we're just trying to follow procedure I just yes I'm sorry with it I suppose okay yeah let me get down okay your four minutes will start now thank you right everybody ready how do you do I'm Bunny Kettlecamp and I was doing I'm the researcher at the History Center of Almstead County and I was doing um working on my male family pictures and it came about that Miss America came to Rochester and uh that's what this article is ultimately about but on page three I tried to highlight it um where it talks about because we're all familiar with the uh the restoration of the clock and the bell that used to be on top of the fire hall in the center of Broadway at Four Street right and uh in any event this gives a some real different information about that bell and uh I presuppose that the bell came with the clock

10:00

Um where it talks about because we're all familiar with the uh the restoration of the clock and the bell that used to be on top of the fire hall in the center of Broadway at 4th Street.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████68%
Procedural██████████████████27%
Environmental Protection██3%
Energy Independence█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Rochester Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting - March 25, 2026

Note on date discrepancy: The agenda, minutes, and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on March 24, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CT. However, the user-provided date for this summary is March 25, 2026. This summary uses the user-provided date but notes the inconsistency.

The Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) met to consider a Certificate of Appropriateness for a window replacement project, appoint members to an awards committee, receive public comments, and hear project updates. The meeting included a vote on the window project and establishment of an ad hoc awards committee.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of February 24, 2026: Approved by unanimous consent as the official record.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Barry Skolnick: Expressed support for the HPC awards program, urging recognition of preservation efforts. Also urged the commission to develop a detailed plan and timetable for addressing the backlog of properties on the landmark inventory list, noting that property owners deserve to know their status.
  • Barb Hudson: Applauded the awards program for public education. Urged the commission to move forward on the Indian Heights designation, stating she was told by city council members that the commission is “dragging our feet” and asked for concrete dates.
  • John Kruesel (first appearance): Supported reinstating awards and suggested that Barb Hudson and Barry Skolnick deserve recognition. Teased a discovery by historian Bunny Kettlekamp about a historic bell.
  • Bunny (Sean) Kettlekamp: Presented a historical article revealing that the bell from the old fire hall (part of the restored clock at Broadway and 4th Street) was cast in 1887, earlier than the 1899 fire hall construction. She suggested the HPC could examine the bell for markings to confirm this history.
  • John Kruesel (second appearance, granted 30 seconds via suspension of rules): Noted that the fire chief, Eric, is excited about the bell discovery and that the bell is still at the fire station. He suggested the bell itself could be a landmark item.

Discussion Items

  • 5.A. Certificate of Appropriateness – 433 9th Ave SW, Window Insert Replacement:
    • Staff report by Molly Patterson-Lundgren: The property is contributing to the Pill Hill Historic District (Tudor Revival style by architect Harold Crawford). The applicant proposes replacing 40 window inserts (sashes) with custom casement windows that match original patterns and sizes. The existing frames and trim would remain. Staff noted that windows are a character-defining feature, and that the proposal is a major alteration. The Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation were cited, particularly Standard #1 (minimal changes to materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships). Staff did not make a recommendation but asked the commission to decide if the change is minimal.
    • The commission suspended rules to allow the applicant, Austin Ryan, to answer questions for 10 minutes. Key points from the applicant:
      • Windows are custom, high-end, matching sash ratios and grille patterns.
      • Energy savings: 28,000 BTU/hr heat load reduction (2.4 tons), based on Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry calculations.
      • Existing bedroom windows do not meet egress code; casement windows improve safety.
      • The applicant stated the city’s process was not collaborative and caused a delay of over 60 days.
    • After questions, Commissioner Poirier moved to approve with two parts: (1) approve the certificate of appropriateness based on minimal changes, (2) recommend that staff treat similar window replacement projects as minor alterations if the applicant makes a reasonable effort to preserve historical integrity.
    • Discussion: Commissioner Shabel opposed the second part, arguing that it would pre-judge future applications and might violate the UDC. Commissioner Zastrow (Chair) noted the second part might not be germane to the current application.
    • Commissioner Koestler moved to amend by striking the second part. The amendment passed 5-2-1 (Poirier and Tator opposed; Gandhi absent).
    • The amended motion (approval only) then passed unanimously (7-0, Gandhi absent).
  • 5.B. HPC Annual Awards Committee Appointments:
    • Chair Zastrow nominated Commissioners Boeddeker and Wassmer to the newly formed ad hoc Awards Committee, with Boeddeker as chair. The committee will develop a proposal for reinstating the HPC awards program, possibly in time for Heritage Preservation Month. The commission approved the nomination by voice vote.

Other Business

  • Project Updates (Molly Patterson-Lundgren):
    • Indian Heights: A grant application to the Minnesota Historical Society is being submitted (due April 10) to fund a consultant to determine National Register eligibility, with a focus on indigenous perspectives (traditional cultural place).
    • Downtown Historic District Vision Plan: The plan will be reviewed by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (meeting April 13).
    • Future meeting dates: Next meeting April 28 in the council chamber; May 19 meeting will be in a different location (room 104 or Development Services) due to a scheduling conflict.
  • Commissioner Kessler's notice: She is working on a plan to address the landmarking backlog and will present it at the next meeting. Commissioner Poirier also requested to discuss the window review process at a future meeting.
  • History Fact of the Month: Commissioner Kessler presented on Bridge 89188 (7th Street Bridge over the Zumbro River near Silver Lake). Designed in 1953, completed in 1956, it is one of two bridges in Rochester with a variable depth fascia girder (the other was replaced in 1997). The bridge was listed as eligible for the National Register in 2014 for its highly artistic value. Restoration in 2019 included repainting the original dark green railing.

Key Outcomes

  • Certificate of Appropriateness approved (unanimous, 7-0) for 433 9th Ave SW window replacement, with findings that the proposal meets the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation and design guidelines, specifically minimal changes to materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships, and that existing historic window openings will remain.
  • HPC Awards Committee established with Commissioners Boeddeker (chair) and Wassmer. The committee will bring a proposal to a future meeting.
  • Future discussion scheduled: Commissioner Kessler will present a landmarking backlog plan at the next meeting (April 28). Commissioner Poirier will request discussion on potentially treating window replacements as minor alterations.
  • Grant application for Indian Heights to be submitted by April 10, pending city council approval.

Meeting Transcript

And we are recording. Okay. Welcome everybody to the March 24th Heritage Preservation Commission meeting. Before we call to order, we start each meeting with a 15-minute open public comment period. This is an opportunity for the public to comment to the commission regarding items that do not have a public hearing on today's agenda. Each speaker has up to four minutes. The commission will not discuss or respond to any comments made during this time. Please be concise and mindful of your time during your remarks so that everyone wishing to speak has the opportunity to do so. With that said, will the first speaker please step forward? Clearly state your name into the microphone, and you will have four minutes to the uh nice reward. It's nice to award people who and it's nice for people to know that other people care uh about them being involved in the effort. And heritage preservation to me is a worthwhile endeavor, and I'm hoping people get rewarded for it. And I don't mean monetary, I mean just uh just a reward, and sometimes even knowing bad as a um now when it comes to the inventory, I really believe, and I've said this many times before. I mean, some of those buildings have been there like 10 years, and they when initially they made all the potential landmarks now for the inventory. They are the intent was to do it in a couple of years. It was never meant that would be a lifelong thing. So I'm hoping you come up with a specific detailed plan and working with Molly, it's not pressuring Molly either. It's working with Molly, so to know exactly when things are coming approximately when things are coming up. So that there's a so there's some progress, the timetable. So even we know like are we on schedule or not? Just to leave it up in the air continually for year after year. I don't think constantly because even the property owners, they deserve to know where they are on the landmark list. And so I think it's really bad that it just year after year after year. And hopefully, again, stretch it out or whatever, when at least call up with some kind of proposal. There are a number of buildings like IBM Computer Site, they're already landmark bed, C C High Schale, Hotel, Chicago Bridge, Great West Po, the Darry Queen, First Presbyterian Church here, one of the older churches. These really deserve just to be landmarked because every, I mean, everyone knows it's been a goal. It's kind of so try to do it as concisely as you can we can get away with. Try to just do it and just be done with it. If some of them don't deserve it, then they deserve to not be on the list. And we should just get to it. Anyway, that's my opinion. Good luck to you in doing that. All right, thank you all. Thank you, Ben, for everything and everybody else. Thank you, Mr. Skullnik. Uh will the next speaker please step forward and clearly state your name into the microphone and you'll have four minutes. I'm I'm not seeing the green light actually. Can you push? There you go. Now it's on okay. My name is Barb Hudson. Um, a couple of things. I want to uh applaud the efforts to uh do the awards for the community um with regards to uh heritage preservation. I think it goes a long way for education, public education, which is part of your purview. Um, when people see that people are being recognized for this, they want to know more about heritage preservation. So uh I again applaud those efforts. The second thing is again um Indian Heights. I see it is on the agenda for tonight. I hope that it we have uh direction to go forward with that.

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