Keweenaw National Historical Park Headquarters, Calumet
October 8, 2024
Present:
Commissioners
- Glenn Anderson, State of Michigan (President)
- Karin Cooper, Houghton County (Secretary)
- Dan Jamison, at-large (Treasurer)
- Thomas Helppi, Calumet Township
- Gerald Juntunen, Commissioner, at-large
- Mary Sears, Franklin and Quincy Townships
- Andrew Ranville, Village of Calumet
Executive Director
National Park Service (NPS)
- Wendy Davis, Superintendent
- Amber Kraft, Interp and Education
Decisions and Announcements
- Decision to write a letter of support for Keweenaw National historical Park requesting a base increase to annual funding in the amount of $180,000.
- Approved a two-year contract of employment for Executive Director, Sean Gohman beginning on October 1, 2024.
- Announced there will be a 2025 Keweenaw Heritage Grant cycle, with more details to come at the next public meeting January 14th.
A.1. Call to Order
A regular meeting of the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission was opened at 1:02 p.m., Tuesday, October 8th, 2024.
A.2. Introductions
Guests:
- Anita Campbell, Keweenaw County Historical Society.
- Chad VanBennekom, KCFC
- Beth Baker, Agassiz house
- Vince Kanthak, Painesdale Mine & Shaft
- Graham Jaehnig, Daily Mining Gazette
A.3. Approval of Agenda for July 23rd, 2024
- Additions to agenda: acceptance of employment agreement from Gohman; discussion of letter of support for KEWE base (funding) increase.
- Motion made by Sears. Seconded by Juntunen. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0).
A.4. Approval of Minutes of July 23rd, 2024
- Motion made by Jamison and seconded by Cooper. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0).
B.1. Superintendent’s Report
A. Staffing updates:
- The Landscape Architect position has a CERT list of candidates. Interviews to begin shortly.
- The Historian position has a CERT list of candidates. Interviews to begin shortly.
- The Interp and Education lead assistant hire should begin sometime next month.
- Two additional staff attached to AML/IRA funding will be starting soon as well. An architect position is in the interview stage, while a shared archaeologist position (with Isle Royale NP) starts soon.
B. Project updates:
- The C&H Warehouse development into a multi-park curatorial facility is in its final design stage and up for review.
- The build is slated for 2027.
- Historic Trades Preservation Center in Maryland sent a team last month to conduct a second masonry workshop devoted to historic and Keweenaw-specific mortars.
- Nearly 30 took the course held at both park headquarters and the Quincy smelter.
- Ongoing discussions to put on another workshop, more related to historic preservation in general, next year.
- Abandoned Mine Lands-related work is ongoing:
- Over $2 million in projects already.
Questions for the Superintendent
A. Campbell asked for an update on signage for the Gay School museum owned and operated by the Keweenaw County Historical Society. Davis replied that signs are coming, but no dates were given.
B. Rebecca Goflety asked about vegetation removal around the Quincy Mine landscape. Davis and Sears informed Gofelty that these removals were on privately owned land north and/or east of Park and/or Quincy Mine Hoist Association properties.
B. 2. Executive Director’s Report
Commissioned Artist project
- Kasey Koski’s 4 art pieces were installed late last month on the NPS-owned dry house ruins property across US41 from the Quincy Mine.
- The four pieces evoke a landscape of work and homelife and connect the uphill area west of US41 to the industrial ruins and shaft rock house on the east side of the highway.
- A woman and child step outside their front door to see their husband off to work.
- Three miners walk down the path from the dry house to the working shafts.
- A miner waves to his co-workers outside the dry house ruins.
- A miner washes off the day’s dust and sweat after a shift underground.
- We invite you all to visit the site and see the figures for yourselves.
Keweenaw Heritage Grants
We received an anonymous donation of $100,000 two weeks ago. This forms the bulk of the grant program.
- Kickoff announcement to come in January, with applications due sometime in early March, with award decisions in late April. Checks to be issued in May.
Quincy Smelter Updates
The commission and Quincy Mine Hoist Association are working on an updated agreement between our organizations related to QMHA offering tours of the smelter complex.
- This year’s tourist season is mostly wrapped up, but the smelter will be open again come next spring.
- 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.
- Staff from PAL visited in May to acquaint themselves with the property and archival resources available needed for the research.
- Already producing draft chapters for review.
Heritage Sites Updates
The Fall Heritage Sites meeting was held mid-September. We had 34 attendees representing 21 organizations (18 of which were Heritage Sites).
- Site reps reported on their successes and challenges this summer.
- NPS staff led several discussions and workshops on topics ranging from curatorial resources, interpretive wayside signage, and volunteer events.
FY24 Projects Review
Oral history transcriptions are ongoing at the park. This is through an outside contractor working out of state.
Bus Reimbursement Grant Program
This program will continue into FY2025 with a budget of $5,000.
B.3. Requests to Commission and Financial Reports
a. Budget/Finance
- Motion to approve billing in the amount of $41,168.30 made by Jamison and seconded by Juntunen. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0)
- Motion to approve payroll and tax payments in the amount of $19,753.92 made by Jamison and seconded by Cooper. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0)
- Motion to approve the fiscal year 2025 operating budget of $186,353 made by Juntunen and seconded by Jamison. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0)
- Following up on a discussion at the previous meeting, Anderson suggested writing a letter of support for the park to our congressional delegation to increase the park’s annual base funding by $180,000. This increase is needed to maintain, operate, and staff the upcoming curatorial facility housed in the historic C&H Warehouse owned by the park.
- Motion made by Cooper. Seconded by Juntunen. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0)
B.4. Commissioner Reports
A. Ranville noted the positive changes in Calumet this summer related to rehabbing the historic downtown.
B. Jamison commended Gohman for his work over the last year.
C.1. Comments from legislators or legislative staff
None
C.2. Comments from Keweenaw Heritage Site representatives
A. Vince Kanthak of Painesdale Mine & Shaft updated the commission on work at the site.
- Developed a middle school education program with Jeffers School.
- Three new interp signs are developed related to: mine disasters at the Champion Mine, a double-sided site overview kiosk; violence in the Painesdale area associated with the 1913 strike.
B. Campbell, Keweenaw County Historical Society, updated the commission on visitation numbers (slightly up) and the Society’s recently held annual dinner at the Calumet Theater.
C.3. Comments from the public
A. Campbell, speaking on behalf of the Big Annie Statue Committee, informed the commission of a recent small fundraising event that took place at the Bonfire restaurant in Houghton.
- They’ve raised enough funds to hire a sculpture to design a statue.
C. Rebecca Gofelty of the Keweenaw Storytelling Center praised the commissioned artwork project and offered that the Michigan Arts and Culture Council grants could be applied for to continue this project.
D. Motion to Adjourn
Moved by Ranville and seconded by Sears at 2:01 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0).
Next meeting will be held Tuesday, January 14th at 1:00pm at Keweenaw NHP Headquarters.
