Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes April 23, 2024

 

Keweenaw National Historical Park Headquarters, Calumet
April 23, 2024

Present:

Commissioners

• Glenn Anderson, State of Michigan (President)

• Karin Cooper, Houghton County (Secretary)

• Dan Jamison, at-large (Treasurer)

• Thomas Helppi, Calumet Township

• Andrew Ranville, Commissioner, Village of Calumet

• Mary Sears, Franklin and Quincy Townships

Executive Director

• Sean Gohman

National Park Service (NPS)

• Wendy Davis, Superintendent (via Teams)

• Amber Kraft, Interp and Education Lead

Absent:

• Gerald Juntunen, at-large (Vice President)

Decisions and Announcements

• The 2024 Keweenaw Heritage Grant awards be announced on May 7th.

• The annual Spring Heritage Sites meeting has been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.

A.1. Call to Order

A regular meeting of the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission was opened at 1:02 p.m., Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024.

A.2. Introductions

Guests:

• Brian Hirvela, Calumet Art Center

• Anita Campbell, Keweenaw County Historical Society.

A.3. Approval of Agenda for January 9th, 2024

Motion made by Jamison. Seconded by Sears. Motion carried unanimously. (6/0).

A.4. Approval of Minutes of October 10th, 2023

Motion made by Jamison and seconded by Cooper Motion carried unanimously. (6/0).

B.1. Superintendent’s Report

A. Staffing updates:

• Continue to struggle with the federal hiring process. Backlogs are starting to clear up, meaning permanent positions that are currently open should be advertised this fall.

  • Jo Holt, park historian, has taken a job with Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. She has one more week at the park in the middle of May.

  • Steve Hermanson, Facilities Lead, has also announced he’ll be taking a position in the private sector.

  • Landscape Architect and Interp position also need filling.

  • Several new interns for Interp/Education program and Curatorial program coming to the park this summer.

  • YES interns working on accessibility improvements.

  • Fish and Feathers intern working on connecting people to the flora and fauna of the Keweenaw.

  • Two public history interns from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire coming on this summer.

  • Mellon Foundation fellow joining in the fall to do historical research on local topics that connect to a national story.

B. Project updates:

• Waysides for the C&H pay shed are ready for installation. These will be placed in and around the pay shed attached to the headquarters building to tell that story.

• Abandoned Mine Lands funding of over $2 million for safeing projects in the area inside the park boundaries is moving forward.

  • Work on the Quincy No. 2 Shaft Rockhouse.

  • Drill shop needs repointing.

  • Mine shaft openings study and possible capping.

  • Smokestack study for future preservation.

• Administrative History taking place this summer as well.

• Visitor Center is open Thursdays and Friday from 12-4pm, starting Memorial Day it will be open 7 days a week.

• Park Newspapers were just delivered and will be going out to Heritage Site partners in the coming weeks. Two pallets worth (~20,000 or so).

Questions for the Superintendent

• Campbell asked if Keweenaw County was included in the smokestack study. Davis replied yes, everything is in bounds.

• Gohman asked for clarification on pay shed wayside project. Materials and equipment need to be moved out of the pay shed before the park can add those waysides in there.

B. 2. Executive Director’s Report

Spring sites meeting

• Due to scheduling conflicts for myself, the superintendent, and NPS staff, we’ve decided to cancel this year’s Spring Heritage Sites meeting. There is simply too much going on at the moment to hold this meeting before the start of the tourist season.

Keweenaw Heritage Grant

• We received 17 applications to the grant program this year. This number is down from previous years, but that is in part due to many sites still working on finishing previous grant projects before applying for another. Proposed projects include: expanding tour services, accessibility improvements, collections management, historic building restorations, sponsored field trips, and interpretive publications.

  • The awards committee will be meeting in the coming weeks with notification of decision coming by Tuesday, May 7

  • Funds Available: Friday May 31st

Quincy Smelter Updates

• The park and commission are working with PAL (The Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc.) to conduct a Historic Resources Survey of the Quincy Smelting Works. An HRS, as defined in NPS Cultural Resource Management Guidelines (NPS-28), is a key baseline document that provides a historical overview of a park or region and identifies a park’s cultural resources within historic contexts. This HRS focuses on the QSW and will expand earlier documentation and analysis of the site, and will provide information to inform decisions about its preservation, management, and interpretation. The study will synthesize all available cultural resource information from multiple disciplines in narrative designed to serve managers, planners, interpreters, cultural resource specialists, and the interested public as a reference for the history of the QSW

  • The study will: situate the QSW within the industrial and technological context of Michigan copper production and park history; provide a chronological history of the site, and its development and preservation over time; and will assess its national and global significance. The study will focus on resources within the site boundary, but the analysis may also reference related and adjoining properties to frame contexts.

  • Consists of:

    • Land use history prior to becoming the smelter property.

    • Overview of smelting in the Lake Superior Copper District

    • Design and construction history.

    • Labor and management.

    • Decline and closure in 1970s, Superfund listing, etc.

    • Purchase by the Advisory Commission a decade ago.

  • Staff from PAL will be visiting in late May to acquaint themselves with the property and archival resources available needed for the research.

• The smelter will be opening shortly for visitor tours put on by our heritage site partner, the Quincy Mine Hoist Association. Learn more at the QMHA website.

Artist in Residence Program

• The commission, park, and Isle Royale Keweenaw Parks Association are pleased to announce that an artist has been selected for a commissioned work (or works) of art to be displayed on the park-owned Quincy Mining Co. land west of US41 and surrounding the dry house ruins. This work is to “repopulate” the historic landscape with representations of workers and/or community members, thereby tying the workplace of the mine to the community that existed along side it. There were several worthy applicants, and the unique combination of historic preservation, interpretation, and artistic license made the selection process a challenge. It is hoped that this is the first of many such projects. Installation is planned for later this summer, with updates to come via the press and social media.

Bus Grants Program

• So far this year, we have (or are in the process of) reimbursing 6 student field trips to heritage Sites. Students from Copper Island Academy, CLK, and Hancock have visited Hanka Homestead, Fort Wilkins, the KCHS lighthouse museum and Central Mine museums, and later this month, the Adventure Mine.

CCP

Copper Country Preservation, Inc. (or CCP), the non-profit ‘arm’ of the commission, has recently renewed its fiduciary agreement with the Miscowaubik Club. CCP holds donations for the club that can be applied to historic preservation work on the building. This relationship began over a decade ago now, and this renewal should keep that relationship for several years to come.

Travel

Next month, I’ll be attending two conferences representing the commission. The Michigan Historic Preservation Network meeting in Kalamazoo, and the Society for Industrial Archeology meeting in Minneapolis. In both cases, this is a return after several years away due to covid, etc. I will not be presenting this year as the focus is on renewing relationships, but I hope to in the future.

• Reminder: the Vernacular Architecture Forum conference is coming to Houghton (and Calumet, and Ontonagon, Keweenaw and Baraga Counties) in June. Most of the planning is complete, with ongoing meetings to coordinate volunteers still taking place.

FY24 Projects Review

• Coppertown Mining Museum pattern storage building roof study is nearly complete. This is to advise the museum on how best to protect the structure with a new roof.

• Oral history transcriptions are ongoing at the park. This is through an outside contractor working out of state.

• Still working with the Delaware Mine and Finnish American Heritage Center on small projects earmarked at the start of the year.

B.3. Requests to Commission and Financial Reports

a. Budget/Finance

• Motion to approve billing in the amount of $11,577.67 made by Helppi and seconded by Sears. Motion carried unanimously. (6/0)

• Motion to approve payroll and tax payments in the amount of $16,257.84 made by Jamison and seconded by Cooper. Motion carried unanimously. (6/0)

B.5. Commissioner Reports

A. Ranville updated on Village of Calumet. Two new grants: one for lead water testing, the other a Financial Distress grant of $323,500 for repairs to the village hall, primarily the roof to deal with leaks.

B. Karin Copper wanted everyone to keep an eye on Houghton County’s desire to build a new jail and court facility off of Sharon Ave. The concern is that the current courthouse isn’t underutilized and/or fall into disrepair.

• Helppi pointed out one of the courts will remain in the building, keeping it at least partially occupied for now.

C. Anderson commended the park and Superintendent Davis for securing those Abandoned Mine Lands funds. It’s much needed and appreciated.

C.1. Comments from legislators or legislative staff

None

C.2. Comments from Keweenaw Heritage Site representatives

A. Campbell, Keweenaw County Historical Society, notified that the society will be providing several volunteers for the upcoming Vernacular Architecture Forum conference in June.

• Thanked the commission for the Keweenaw Heritage Grant program.

• 11 historical society museums at 8 separate sites will be opening to the public on June 16th (Father’s Day).

  • Received a donation of a ship’s mast from the Soo River Trader (1906). There will be a flag raising at 1:30 that day to commemorate the donation and the opening of the museums.

• The Big Annie Statue committee is holding a fundraiser gala/event at the Calumet Theatre on June 22nd. Have raised over $26,000 so far for this project.

B. Jamison, Calumet Theatre, the theatre and Jim Enrietti are raising money to replace the chandelier that used to hang in the ballroom. A dinner event on July 6th will take place to help raise more.

• Recently replaced/renovated the lights in the clock tower.

C.3. Comments from the public

A. Hirvela, Calumet Art Center, is looking for comments/technical assistance from the park on some project work for the art center. Stained glass, etc.

• Superintendent Davis indicated she would contact and arrange some discussion.

D. Motion to Adjourn

Moved by Ranville and seconded by Jamison at 1:45 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. (6/0).

Next meeting will be held Tuesday, July 9th at 1:00pm at Keweenaw NHP Headquarters.