CLG Grant Application for Preserving Planning - Four Mounds Park Copyrighted
August 20, 2018
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 12.
ITEM TITLE: Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant Application for
Preservation Planning — Four Mounds Park
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval of Four Mounds
Foundation's grant application through the Certified Local
Government Program for preservation planning for long-
term protection of the Burial Mounds Area at Four Mounds
Park.
RESOLUTION approving a CLG grant application to State
Historic Preservation Office for Preservation Planning at
Four Mounds Estate Historic District
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Adopt
Resolution(s)
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
CLG Grant Application for Four Mounds Park-NNM City Manager Memo
Memo
Staff memo Staff Memo
CLG Grant App 4 Mounds Supporting Documentation
Mayor letter Supporting Documentation
Resolution Resolutions
THE CITY OF Dubuque
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: CLG Grant Application for Preservation Planning — Four Mounds Park
DATE: August 9, 2018
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens recommends City Council approval of Four
Mounds Foundation's application for a $7,710 Certified Local Government Program
Grant for preservation planning for long-term protection of the Burial Mounds Area at
Four Mounds Park. Since the City of Dubuque owns the property, the grant program
requires written City approval of the request. The only City expense will be for in-kind
match of$480 of full-time staff involvement in the project.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
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Mic ael C. Van Milligen �� �
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Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
THE CTTY OF Dubuque
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2013 2017
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Laura Carstens, Planning Seroices Manager '-�'<�
SUBJECT: CLG Grant Application for Preservation Planning - Four Mounds Park
DATE: August13, 2018
INTRODUCTION
This memo transmits for City Council approval, the Four Mounds Foundation's
application for a $7,710 Certified Local Government (CLG) Program Grant for
preservation planning for long-term protection of the Burial Mounds Area at Four
Mounds Park. Since the City of Dubuque owns the property, the grant program requires
written City approval of the request. The grant application, supporting documents, letter
of support, and resolution are enclosed.
DISCUSSION
The State Historic Preservation Office annually awards CLG grant funds for competitive
projects that help to preserve, conserve, interpret, enhance, and educate the public
about lowa's historical assets. The City has received CLG grants for Four Mounds Park
and other historic preservation projects in the past.
The Four Mounds Estate Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic
Places and designated as both a City Landmark Site and a City park. The Four Mounds
Foundation seeks CLG funding for preservation planning to develop treatment options
for long-term protection of the Burial Mounds Area at Four Mounds Park.
The City has a long collaboration with the Four Mounds Foundation in stewardship of
the historic architecture, historic landscape, cultural heritage and archeology of this City
landmark site. The City's Historic Preservation Commission has the responsibility to
promote the protection, enhancement, and perpetuation of such landmarks through
outreach, education, and design review. Preservation planning is crucial to protect the
Burial Mounds Area as well as to promote and conduct educational and interpretive
programs on this archeological resource.
As a Certified Local Government, the City of Dubuque is required to provide training for
the Historic Preservation Commission and support staff. This project will help fulfill that
requirement.
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BUDGETIMPACT
The Project Budget is summarized below. A detailed budget is enclosed.
CLG Grant Request $ 7,710
In-Kind Match - City staff 480
In-Kind Match - Others 5,746
Total $13,936
The only City expense will be for in-kind match of$480.00 of full-time staff involvement
in the project. Funds will come from the City Planning/Historic Preservation Activity in
the Planning Services DepartmenYs FY 2019 Operating Budget (62700 100 61010).
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve the Four Mounds Foundation's application
for a CLG Grant for preservation planning for long-term protection of the Burial Mounds
Area at Four Mounds Park. The Four Mounds Foundation's dedication to preserving
and interpreting the site's history offers enriching and engaging experiences to visitors
and residents, furthering the social and cultural vibrancy of our community.
REQUESTED ACTION
The requested action is to adopt the enclosed resolution in support of Four Mounds
Foundation's application for the CLG Grant for preservation planning for long-term
protection of the Burial Mounds Area at Four Mounds Park.
Enclosures
cc: Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager
Jenny Larson, Budget Director
Enclosures
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Application of Four Mounds Foundation to Certified Local Government (CLG) Program
Preservation Planning for Burial Mounds and Environs
The following is narrative for the online application that is due 8-31-I8. The application is largely
complete,so this submission is in late-draft form.
ProjectBudget:$13,936 GrantRequest: $7,710 In-Kind: $6,226
Brief description of project
A comprehensive approach to develop treatment options for the Mounds Area as sound planning for
the long-term protection of the Mounds.
Project Goals
This is a comprehensive approach to looking at the landscape and treatment of the namesake four
Native American burial mounds at the Four Mounds Park, a city-owned resource that is managed by
Four Mounds Foundation. The site has two listings on the National Register of Historic Places: the
entire site as a historic district, & a listing for the namesake Native American burial mounds,
dating to the Middle-Late Woodland period. Both designations state local significance, but the
rarity of the site in lowa indicates that it likely has state significance and is worth revisiting.
The project involves an engineering survey of the project area and a professional planning session.
Stakeholders, consultants and experts will be brought together to consider treatment, maintenance and
protection of the Mounds,the immediate surrounding Mound Area and the Environs around the
Mounds that have a mix of natural and historic resources.
The projecYs main event is an two-day planning session, a strategy that provides a number of
opportunities: different work session times, informal meals, and social times to allow people from
different disciplines to become comfortable around each other and provide consultants time to absorb
the information discussed, revisiting the project after a good nighYs sleep. We also anticipate this
variety of times will allow others to attend, including invited board members, HPC members,community
historians,volunteers,etc. We believe this format will be conducive to productive planning with input
from a great variety of stakeholders.
MORE ABOUT FOUR MOUNDS: The estate was built largely between 1908-1940, when the two
main families who owned the estate constructed their homes & supporting buildings. In 1908,
Viola & George Burden built what came to be known as the Grey House (a Lawrence Buck
design). Chicago based A. Phelps Wyman was hired as their landscape architect, &thoughtfully
laid out Four Mounds farm campus buildings, winding lanes, vistas & stone features including
retaining walls, walkways, birdbaths, a sundial, stone gates & walls, rough cut curbing & an
earthen root cellar. Lawrence Buck signed the original 1908 blueprints with the name "Four
Mounds", so the family knew of the four Native American burial mounds that came to be the
site's namesake. At the time of listing on the National Register, the nearby cabin was
considered non-contributing due to its age. It is now a 62-year-old, intact structure that retains
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Application of Four Mounds Foundation to Certified Local Government (CLG) Program
Preservation Planning for Burial Mounds and Environs
its context hidden away from the rest of the site in the Environs ofthe Mounds. It would likely
be considered contributing today.
Wyman brought the natural aesthetic to Four Mounds, &the culminating result was a
gentleman's farm overlooking the Mississippi River, naturally landscaped & populated with
pleasant buildings, harmonious design, & interesting site features. The site is the only intact
gentleman's farm in lowa today according to Ralph Christian (IA SHPO). While other
gentleman's farms have been lost to demolition, acreage sell-off, & suburban or urban
encroachment, Four Mounds has actively worked to expand ours, acquiring natural buffers &
using conservation easements as protection tools. Because of this strategic restorative focus,
21�t century visitors experience Four Mounds as a quiet respite, similar to the way it was
experienced during the property's time of significance in the late 1930s. The Four Mounds
estate was established in the middle of the gentleman farm movement, when wealthy men
worked in cities & retreated at night to their country estates. Located four miles from
Dubuque's city center,the automobile made it possible to have the farm while maintaining a
professional career. The farm was idyllic, in an age where the industrialization & modernization
of agriculture & cities was an affront to the sensibilities of many. George R. Burden saw his farm
as a testing ground for "Scientific Agriculture," publishing in agricultural journals.
Work Products
USEFUL DEFINITIONS IN THIS APPLICATION: Mounds- Burial Mounds#s 1,2,3 &4, as identified on the
attached map. Mound Area-area within an additional 15' radius of each mound, identified on map.
Environs-area nearby and surrounding Mound Area, roughly defined by ravines to the south and west,
and hillside/bluffland to the north.
BELOW ARE THE WORK PRODUCTS OF THE PROJECT:
- Updated engineering survey for Mounds, Mound Area and Environs, incorporated with tree survey
- Updated Heritage Landscape Plan with concept plans for project area including moving parking,
protection of Mounds, new parking,and treatment in front of the historic Marvin Gardens cabin
- Updated architectural plans for features around lane; maintenance treatment plan for historic cabin
and surrounds
- Updated Ecological Restoration plan with modified treatment for Mounds, Mound Area and Environs,
as a result of planning and input from other consultants, experts (Office of State Archaeologist) and
stakeholders (Indian Advisory Council)
- Planting plan for historically appropriate plantings around the historic cabin and planting in the entire
area that is congruent with the ecological plan and the Mounds.
- Final report pulling all documents together, with pricing estimates for carrying out project elements.
2
Application of Four Mounds Foundation to Certified Local Government (CLG) Program
Preservation Planning for Burial Mounds and Environs
- 2 Day Educational Planning Work Session,where our long-time consultants (who have a history of
donating services),stakeholders, experts,city officials and volunteers come together and learn in what
will be an unusual collaborative effort to develop a consistent plan for appropriate treatment and
protection of the entire project area.
Schedule
Winter2018-19
- Engineering survey update with new focus area. Will be supplemented with additional data during the
session (like tree identification,areas of significance for the mounds, etc)
-Set date for March 2019, re-contact potential attendees, develop materials for session.
- Review previous plan documents and research, including the SOI preservation standards for cultural
landscape, Preservation Brief#36 for cultural landscape, Vegetation Management for Burial Sites, and
the Phase I Archaeology Survey results for this location.
February & March 2019
-Contact all attendees 2 weeks prior to meeting to distribute background materials, including the above
listed documents, National Register listings for the site and mounds, attendee bios, agenda, and goals
and objectives for the session.
- Planning Session,date TBD (likely March, mid-week session). Consists of afternoon planning session
from 1-5 pm, including walk to Mounds Area at onset and toward end. Dinner for attendees at 5:30. Out
of town guests invited to stay overnight for wrap session the following day.
April 2019
- Follow up with consultants,Compile products into report for the area. Share tree data with engineer
for survey inclusion. Develop pricing for projects identified in plan.
Mav 2019
- Finish plan and develop materials for grant report. Share plan with consultants. Defer to Office of State
Archaeologist on sharing our results with the public, for protection of the Mounds.
June 2019
- File grant report.
Goals & Objedives
1. Develop a clear strategy on how we communicate with the public about the Mounds, whether in
person, in print,on the web,through the media or in signage. Our past strategy, based on
recommendations by the Office of the State Archaeologist, is to have an organic approach, where we
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Application of Four Mounds Foundation to Certified Local Government (CLG) Program
Preservation Planning for Burial Mounds and Environs
protect the mounds by not calling attention to them, and if the public asks us,they need to do so
probably face-to-face where we can have a conversation with them.
2. Develop a plan for relocating parking to remove pressure from Mound 1 & 2. Should include one
parking and one turnaround space on the other side of the lane away from the mounds.
3. Determine if we can remove the parking space between Mound 1 &2,and if so, how to do it without
damaging the Mounds. Previously we were recommended not to remove it by the Office of State
Archaeology, but approaches have changed (as per the office) and iYs time to revisit this.
4.To have our long-term consultants to Four Mounds, staff, board,and state offices,all on the same
page and understanding the needs, nuances and goals of mound preservation,ecological restoration,
historic preservation and site use. We believe these different goals and strategies can be mutually
supportive.
5. Develop a plan for ecological restoration at the mounds,the immediate mound area and the environs
around the project area.This includes a survey of the trees in the area, plan for treatments,and removal
of imminent threats.
6. Develop a preservation and landscape plan for the adjacent cabin that includes roof line treatment,
siding treatment,and a naturalized landscape that is congruent with treatments around the mounds.
Will address hardscape and softscape treatments in light of moving the parking from the mounds, to
across the lane.
7. Update the engineering survey to include the entire project area, which previously was confined to
very close to the lane.
8. Compile a final report on all the findings, incorporating comments, input and reports from
consultants.This report will provide us with plans to move ahead with separate parts of the project.
Past Performance
The City of Dubuque has received $43,877 in CLG grants since 2007,when the City was awarded $8,200
for the Phase 1 Archeological Survey of the Four Mounds Estate. All CLG grants were completed
successfully. In FY 2007,the City of Dubuque made a successful application to CLG for Four Mounds
Foundation, in support of a Phase I Archaeology Grant. Chris Olson, project lead on this project and the
2007 project, led a successful study that integrated classes from Loras College to help undertake the
project with the consultant archaeologist, and held a workshop with the local alternative high school
history class.The project was on-budget and on-time, providing a valuable learning opportunity for the
classes and their instructors. Four Mounds Foundation also carried out a Prehistoric Burial Sites&
Cemeteries Property Management Workshop in which they engaged officials from the Office of the
State Archaeologist,CLG program, the SHPO,the consulting archaeologist,and the Indian Advisory
Council.The workshop was sold out and drew attendees from throughout the region.
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Prepared by: Laura Carstens, City Planner Address: City Hall 50 W. 13th St, Dubuque, IA 52001 Telephone: 589-4210
Return to: Kevin Firnstahl, City Clerk Address: City Hall, 50 W. 13th St, Dubuque IA 52001 Telephone: 589-4121
RESOLUTION NO. 243-18
RESOLUTION APPROVING CLG GRANT APPLICATION TO STATE HISTORIC
PRESERVATION OFFICE FOR PRESERVATION PLANNING AT FOUR MOUNDS
ESTATE HISTORIC DISTRICT
Whereas, the State Historic Preservation Office has allocated Certified Local
Government (CLG Program grant funds for projects that help to preserve, conserve,
interpret, enhance, and educate the public about Iowa's historical assets; and
Whereas, the City of Dubuque has adopted the 2017 Comprehensive Plan that includes
goals for educating the community about the benefits of historic preservation.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
DUBUQUE, IOWA:
i
Section 1. The Four Mounds Foundation is hereby authorized to submit the FY 2019
CLG Grant application to the State Historic Preservation Office for preservation planning
for the burial mounds area at the Four Mounds Estate Historic District, which is property
owned by the City of Dubuque.
Section 2. The Executive Director is hereby authorized as the property owner
representative and the project manager for the CLG application.
Passed, approved and adopted this 20th day of August 2018.
Attest:
KevirnS. Firnstahl, City Clerk
Roy D.
—/
ol, Mayor
F:\Users\LCARSTEN\W P\GRANTS\GRANTS - Four Mounds\CLG FY19\4 Mounds FY19 CLG Grant App Resolution.doc
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Christine Olson, Executive Director
Four Mounds Foundation
4900 Peru Road
Dubuque, IA 52001
Dubuque
*****
M -America City
2207 .2012 • 2013 • 22(7
Office of the Mayor
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001-4845
www.cityofdubuque.orq
August 20, 2018
SUBJECT: FY 2019 CLG Grant Application for Preservation Planning at Four Mounds Park
Dear Ms. Olson,
am pleased to provide this letter of support on behalf of the City of Dubuque in support of the
Four Mounds Foundation's application for a Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant for
preservation planning to develop treatment options for long-term protection of the Burial Mounds
Area at Four Mounds Park. The City park includes the Four Mounds Estate Historic District,
which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a City Landmark.
In our long collaboration with the Four Mounds Foundation, stewarding the prehistoric
archeology as well as the historic architecture and landscape, we've recognized the power of
working partnerships and the fundamental significance of the historic site on our cultural
heritage. The City's Historic Preservation Commission has the responsibility to promote the
protection, enhancement, and perpetuation of such landmarks through outreach, education, and
design review. Preservation planning is crucial to protect the Burial Mounds Area as well as to
promote and conduct educational and interpretive programs on this archeological resource.
As a Certified Local Government, the City of Dubuque is required to provide training for the
Commission and staff. This project will help fulfill that need. It will be financially supported in part
by staff time contributed by the Planning Services Department.
The Four Mounds Foundation's dedication to preserving and interpreting the site's history offers
enriching and engaging experiences to visitors and residents, furthering the social and cultural
vibrancy of our community. The City of Dubuque supports your initiative to seek funding for
preservation planning for long-term protection of the Burial Mounds Area at Four Mounds Park.
Sincerely,
Roy D. Buol
Mayor
cc: City Council Members
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
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