Victoria MN Newspaper-City Scoop

A resident asked about putting the new City Hall in the location of the current Public Works building on Stieger Lake Lane. Stated Mr. Uram, "Access there is a problem. We don't even have an agreement to cross the trail there."

Resident Ruth Kroening asked about building on the city-owned 13.5 acres located between existing downtown Victoria and the Dairy Queen. Mr. Uram replied that $1.5 million in improvements and utilities would be needed in that location. There are no streets, sewer, or water services on that undeveloped vacant land.

Mr. Uram said that the city has looked at several possibilities for the new Public Works site. "The city-owned 94 acres in Laketown Township is a very expensive site to develop and it's a four-hour drive from downtown. The one we ended up with is the cheapest one and it has great access," he stated, referring to the 10 acres on Bavaria Road, currently part of the Hartman Tree Farm.

A resident asked, "Are we really going to get by with only two lanes for Bavaria Road? We got traffic from Holy Family High School and now we're going to get Public Works trucks."

Replied City Engineer Cara Geheren, "That's a county road. With our current operation, there was not concern by the county. We wouldn't need turn lanes today.'

Ann Manhke, Victoria's Director of Public Works, estimated that the city's six Public Works employees would create an additional 24 trips per day, and that the timing would fall outside of normal rush hour traffic. As Director of Park and Rec, Ann is the seventh Public Works employee and she also locates at the Rec Center Office.

Mary Meuwissen, former mayor and current downtown business owner, stated there are mold problems in city offices and no windows for most offices. She said that City Hall generates a lot of traffic which would be good for downtown businesses.

"As a downtown business owner," she said, "I can tell you that all day long there are people coming to City Hall. The City Hall drives a lot of people to the downtown." She added that Carver County pays for staffing of a library if residents wanted a library included with City Offices.

"Victoria went through seven to eight years of very tough times," she said. "I wish you the best success."

Stated former Mayor Jerry Bohn, "City Hall should be downtown. The parking is manageable. Every successful retail has parking problems. That's a sign of success. Every solution is to put up a ramp. I applaud the staff. They've done a lot of due diligence. I applaud council and the staff. They've come up with good solutions."

Stated resident Nancy Vogt, "We need a better library than the Express Library. We'll be sorry in the long run if we don't build a library. A lot of people, including senior citizens, use a library." Mr. Uram commented that 3,500 books (or other materials) have passed through the Express Library at the Victoria Recreation Center, and that the Express Library was the first in the state. That library was funded by a federal grant in 2010.

Mayor Tom O'Connor had final comments, "This wasn't meant to be a final presentation. There's a lot of opportunity for additional input. Email us. Call us. We've got a lot more work to do. On behalf of the staff and other councilmembers, thank you for coming."

More discussion and possible decisions were slated for the July 22nd council meeting. CONTINUED NEXT ARTICLE.

JULY 22ND: CITY CONTINUES TO INFORM

WORKING IN A REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY

THE 5:00 P.M.

COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Council held a 5 p.m. workshop on July 22nd to continue to ask questions of City Staff and of each other as they continued to evaluate options regarding a new City Hall and new Public Works facility. Some residents were in attendance.

The Public Works Facility

City Manager Don Uram presented plans for the public buildings that would keep the total expenditure at $6 million, which is $600,000 less than recommended by city staff and architect on July 1st. It means a metal building with a precast base for Public Works, not a precast building, and smaller than recommended by nearly 2,000 square feet. Said Councilmember Jim Crowley, "I'd like to thank you and staff for meeting the challenge."

"The building is pretty tight," said Mr. Uram. "It's planned for five plow trucks. We currently have three with one more planned for next year. The building will accommodate us in the short term." He said it would be possible down the road to double the size of the building."

"We're comfortable keeping the existing building for cold storage for equipment that doesn't need to be heated, like lawnmowers," added Mr. Uram.

Click here to continue CITY CONTINUES TO INFORM.