PIPESTONE - The National Park Service (NPS) welcomes public review and comment on the museum exhibit replacement project at Pipestone National Monument.
The planned new exhibit is titled “Pipestone: A Sacred Place; A Spiritual Practice.” The current museum exhibits were designed and installed during construction of the Visitor Center in 1958. Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, replacing the museum exhibits will have an adverse effect on the historic Visitor Center, and the National Park Service invites public comments on those impacts.
Working with Pacific Studio, the National Park Service has prepared a design document, accompanying reference materials and video, which are now available for public comment before the exhibit is finalized and installed. The park is in the process of working with the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office to develop appropriate mitigation measures for adverse effects to historic architectural features inside the Visitor Center. Consultation is ongoing with the park’s 23 affiliated Tribes.
Park staff encourage public participation in the historic preservation mitigation planning process. The park will host a public meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Meinders Community Library, 1401 Seventh Ave. N.W., Pipestone. The public is invited to visit at any point during the scheduled time to review materials and provide written comments.
Comments will be accepted through Dec. 31. The documents are available electronically for review and comment online by visiting http://parkplanning.nps.gov/pipe1 , the website for the National Park Service Planning Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) system. Look for “Museum Exhibit Replacement Project.” Comments may also be mailed to the address below: Superintendent, Pipestone National Monument, 36 Reservation Ave., Pipestone 56164-1269.
