Advisory Commission Meeting 7/27/2022

Keweenaw National Historical Park Headquarters

July 27th, 2022

Present: Commissioners

• Glenn Anderson, State of Michigan (V.P. and Chair for meeting)
• Karin Cooper, Houghton County (Secretary)(UPEA representative)
• Gerald Juntunen, at-large
• Dan Jamison, at-large
• John Sullivan, Franklin and Quincy Townships (Treasurer) (via Zoom)

Absent: N/A

Present: Executive Director

• Sean Gohman (also recording Secretary)

Present: National Park Service (NPS)

• Wendy Davis, Superintendent
• John Arnold, Historical Architect

Present: Guests

• Paul Campbell, Keweenaw County Historical Society
• Jeff Ratcliffe, Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance
• Paul Lehto, Calumet Township
• Beth Baker and Cheryl Layne, Agassiz House
• Collin Jackson, TV6 News
• Virtual: Dean Juntunen, Ontonagon County Historical Society
• Aubrey Moore, U.P Regional Director for Senator Peters
• John Mueller, Keweenaw Mountain Lodge

Call to Order

A regular meeting of the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission was opened at 1:01 p.m., Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

Approval of Agenda.

Motion to amend and approve agenda. Moved by Sullivan and seconded by Cooper to approve agenda for July 27, 2022. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0).

Approval of Minutes of April 13, 2022.

Moved by Jamison and seconded Juntunen to approve of the minutes of January 19, 2022. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0).

Commission Committees and Projects

Announcements / Executive

Anderson read and asked for a motion to “accepted with regret” the resignation letter from Commissioner, Keith Koppernolle, representing Calumet Township (via email). Jamison motioned and Juntunen seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0)

Superintendent’s Report

The new Interpretation and Education lead at the park has been filled. Amber Kraft will be moving here from Katmai National Park in Alaska. She is known for working with “Fat Bear Week” in cooperation with National Geographic. She was also a coordinator for education programs at the National Archives, as well as worked at Independence National Park in Philadelphia. “We are very lucky to have here coming here.”

• She will be onboarded at the end of August, but it may be a bit longer for her to physically move here due to the difficulties of moving from Katmai NP.

• Also bringing in a new curator in October or thereabouts to work and coordinate with the person they are replacing, Brian Hoduski, who will be leaving KNHP at the end of the calendar year.

• Following that new hire, the park will also be looking to replace Steve DeLong, former Landscape Architect for the park, as he recently took a promotion at Grand Tetons NP.

• There is also a good chance for an increase in positions available in the Interpretation staffing department. This will allow for longer open hours at the Visitor Center and more interp and educational programming.

The Deputy Regional Director for the Midwest Region, Rick Clark, recently visited the park. He had a look at the park’s properties (such as the warehouse) and visited the Quincy Mine and Quincy Smelter. This visit was a great opportunity to expose DRD Clark to the unique nature of this park and its mission.

The 30th Anniversary of the park is coming up this Fall. More will be shared by the park at the Spring Heritage Sites meeting coming up next month.

• We expect a new agreement between the park, the commission, and the heritage sites to be available by then as well. This will help formalize our cooperative arrangements and strengthen that bond between sites and the park.

The C&H warehouse project is still going forward with an expected start date in 2025. This is to transform the historic warehouse into a state of the art curatorial facility for up to four national parks” Apostle Islands, Isle Royale, Keweenaw, and Pictured Rocks.

Q&A with the Superintendent:

Paul Campbell (public) asked if the Agassiz House across the street was “part of the park.”

• Superintendent Davis responded that all of Calumet was part of the park as it all exists within he park’s boundaries. However, it is not owned by the park. It is privately owned by the Maas family, who will be speaking later in this meeting.

Executive Director’s Report

This year’s Keweenaw Heritage Grant Program wrapped up this past June. This year, the Commission awarded $125,000 to 14 grantees. Awards were given to 13 Heritage sites and one historic property owner for projects ranging from building maintenance to collections inventory and cataloging, educational field trips, and interpretative programs.

The Advisory Commission and National Park hosted a Spring Heritage Sites meeting in person at the park Headquarters on May 26th. About 25 people were in attendance representing 13 Heritage sites as well as other affiliated organizations. Attendees updated each other on their organization’s activities over the past 6 months as well as what was coming up for the summer. They were also treated to an afternoon workshop focused on accessibility of design, i.e., how to make your visual information more readable, engaging, and impactful. A Fall Heritage Sites meeting will be planned shortly and announced sometime in September.

The Commission, thanks to the park’s facilities day labor crew, is currently addressing several openings at the Quincy Smelter that have been allowing pigeons and other vermin into the reverberatory building and casting shed. New panels are being installed as well, some with Plexiglas to allow for more light inside. This project is being funded through monies secured last year by the park. Project funds are also going towards the start of an interpretive trail at the Quincy Mine Hoist property. This is just the first section in what is hoped to be almost 3 miles of interpretive trail on the site in the future. This segment will allow for a more accessible slope down from the gift shop to the hoist building and will free the current roadway there of pedestrian traffic on a low visibility approach.

Speaking of funds, thanks to the park the Commission was able to secure our full authorized funding for next fiscal year. This amounts to $250,000. This only just happened, so these funds have yet to be allocated, but at our next quarterly meeting I will be able to announce where those funds will be directed, be it towards the Quincy Smelter, the Keweenaw Heritage Grant Program, or other projects.

The Commission and National Park is currently talking with Michigan Tech’s Visual and Preforming Arts program to come up with some performance and interpretive events and displays that could be housed on park property. This is what is hoped to be the start of an ongoing relationship with the VPA program, as they have students who need experience not just in putting on performances, but in building sets, dioramas, and costuming, while the park and our heritage site partners have properties and spaces that can house them. Superintendent Davis and I have been discussing ways to incorporate more art and performance into our joint programming here in the Keweenaw, and the Commission has provided support to those efforts.

Speaking of collaboration, the Commission and the Park are also having ongoing talks with the Americana Foundation about their helping to fund future practical skills training here for our heritage site partners. These talks are in early stages, and nothing has been decided upon, but our ideas focus on identifying practical skills needed here, bringing professionals to the area to help teach them through onsite workshops, and then identifying properties/locations where we can execute those skills. Stay tuned as ore information becomes available.

I want to announce that I will be away from my desk, and the country, for most of August. I’m leaving for Ireland on August 2nd for some much-needed vacation, my first “real” vacation since 2019. On August 12th, I’ll then be traveling from Dublin to NW Wales to meet up with a study group from Michigan Tech’s Industrial Heritage & Archaeology program to learn about Welsh industrial heritage. We will be collaborating with folks from Bangor University in Wales for two weeks, traveling north to south visiting several national museums as well as two World Heritage Sites. The hope is that next year, a reciprocal visit from students at Bangor University will happen here in the Keweenaw. We are just waiting on some grants and if successful, this is an opportunity to link our park with the Welsh Heritage system and collaborate for years to come. Locations we’ll see include the World Heritage sites like the Slate Landscape of NW Wales and the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, which is focused on the iron and coal industries. Time will also be spent in Swansea, historically a leader in smelting copper and other metals, as well as Cardiff. The National Waterfront Museum, the Swansea Museum, St. Fagan’s Natural History Museum, Segontium Roman Museum, and at least one underground mine will also be visited. Upon my return, a series of talks will be scheduled both here at the national park and at a selection of heritage sites to be determined.

Q&A with the Executive Director:

none

Other reports from Commissioners

Karin Cooper, speaking on behalf of UP Engineers and Architects (UPEA), updated the Commission on the status of an ongoing investigation of the Calumet Theatre building’s envelope. UPEA was contracted by the Commission last fall to conduct a study of the theatre’s heating systems and building envelope so that the Village of Calumet (owner) and Calumet Theatre Board (operator) would have a better idea of the needs for the building as well as best approaches to address those needs.

• The report is complete and was submitted to the Village, the park, and the Commission.

• The next step is to conduct a structural evaluation to see how some of the recommended approaches are appropriate for the building as is, or what would be required to make the building more amenable to those approaches.

• Superintendent Davis stated that any unspent building assessment funds could be used to fund this structural analysis (edit: the Commission determines how this money is to be spent, but agrees with Davis’ comment).

Anderson asked for a motion to accept with regret the resignation of Keith Koppernolle to the Commission. Jamison motioned with Juntunen seconding. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0)

• Anderson informed the Commission that nominations to replace Koppernolle and Geisler (resigned in April) have but put forth to the Department of the Interior but as of yet no updates are available on the status of those nominations.

A motion was made by Sullivan to approve a RFP for potential lessees for the Quincy Smelting Works’ dockside warehouse. Superintendent Davis is working with NPS to identify potential tenants for that building once it is stabilized. This could be an anchor tenant for the facility in the future. Juntunen seconded. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0)

Commissioner Sullivan, representing Quincy and Franklin Townships, motioned that the Commission increases its pledge of $5,000 to assist with the clearing of trees under the US41 turnout/lookout (up Quincy hill) to up to $10,000 to be used towards a local match for a proposed MDOT-led relocation of said turnout/lookout to the Kowsit Lats/Round House Road turnoff from US41. MDOT has a “preliminary site plan” to close the current turnout, relocate it, and provide parking, an interpreted lookout, and restroom facilities.

• A Federal grant would cover 80% of a roughly $700,000 project. The remainder would come from local sources such as MDOT and this requested pledge. QMHA has also made a $10,000 pledge.

• Juntunen seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0)

Commissioner Juntunen informed the commission that he recently visited the Ontonagon County Historical Society’s museum in Ontonagon and was impressed with the progress they have been making. OCHS has been reorganizing

Budget / Finance

Motion to approve the bills moved by Sullivan and seconded by Jamison to approved in $130,847.44 billing and wages and tax of $17,558.24. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0)

Comments from Legislators or Legislative Staff

Aubrey Moore, UP Regional Director for Senator Peters, informed the Commission that a letter was being drafted to send to the Department of the Interior to request movement on the appointment of Commissioners to replace former Commissioners Geisler and Koppernolle. Koppernolle’s replacement nominee was submitted for approval a year ago and so far there has been no movement. The Advisor Commission thanked Regional Director Moore for Senator Peters ongoing efforts to assist the Commission.

Comments from Keweenaw Heritage Site Representatives

Lindsay Hiltunen of Michgian Tech Archives informed the Commission that their busy summer season is in full swing and appointments are booking quickly. “If folks wish to research with us this summer, please try to book out an appointment well in advance. Our hours are 1-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday.” Hiltunen also stated that she was recently elected as the President of the Michigan Archival Association.

Comments from the Public

Jeff Ratcliffe from Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance and speaking on behalf of several interested parties in Calumet, requested a pledge from the Commission to assit with a local match for a $100,000 Resilient Lakeshore Heritage Grant from the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). This grant is to address an ongoing stabilization project at the 425 5th Street property in Calumet. The building has been cleaned out and shoring supports have been installed to avoid a roof collapse. Previously, the Commission donated money to install tarps on the roof to keep water out, but those were a temporary fix. This grant will go towards the construction of a new roof. A letter was attached to further explain, and the application for the grant is due Sept. 1st.

• Cooper and Sullivan motioned to pledge up to $5,000 towards this grant match. Juntunen seconded. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0)

Beth Baker and Cheryl Layne, representing the Maas family (owners of the Agassiz House) wanted to introduce themselves to the Commission and inform everyone that work in rehabilitating the home is ongoing. The plan is to turn it into a B&B once completed. It’s a large project, with nine rooms requiring substantial work (electrical, plumbing, cosmetic). They are hoping to “open up” the home by the end of the calendar year.

Paul Lehto, former Calumet Township supervisor, informed the Commission that improvements are to be made for accessing Douglass-Houghton Falls thanks to Gov. Whitmer’s recent approval of 45.6 million for the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

Comments from NPS/KNHP

John Arnold informed the Commission that summer Youth Crews have been working for the past couple weeks on a variety of projects benefitting Heritage Sites. Primarily working on vegetation clearing around historic properties. Arnold also mentioned that a meeting was held last week regarding he creation of a Friends Group for the Quincy Dredge sitting on the shore of Torch Lake. The Dredge is in need of stabilization and environmental remediation, and representatives of Osceola Township, NPS, Houghton County Historical Society joined interested parties from the public to kick off these discussions about what could be done for the resource.

Motion to Adjourn

Moved to adjourn by Sullivan, and seconded by Juntunen at 1:49 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. (5/0).

Next Meeting

Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 1:00pm at Keweenaw NHP Headquarters.