Victoria MN Newspaper-The Scoop at City Hall

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CITY HALL & PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY

STEP TOWARD CONSTRUCTION

RESIDENT SPEAKS AT OPEN FORUM

ASKING FOR PUBLIC WORKS BLDG TO BE MOVED BACK

Lawrence Gubbe, a resident of Victoria on Bavaria Road, spoke to councilmembers during the Open Forum of the council meeting on Monday, April 14th. He said that he and his neighbors -- four of them signed the letter he read -- were extremely disappointed in the proposed location of the new Public Works building.

Mr. Gubbe said he and his neighbors knew the city had bought ten acres of the tree farm property from the Hartmans last year, including many trees, and they knew the purchase price. They knew the price tag of $700,000 for the property at 8099 Bavaria Road and $72,810 for the trees.

He said he and neighbors have followed the process, the plans, and the dates as the public project has progressed, but he said they didn't see until recently in 2014 that the location of the Public Works building had changed, that it had been moved closer to Bavaria Road and therefore closer to the neighbors.

Said Mr. Gubbe, "The undersigned believed that the city would honor its promise to the residents who live on the west side of Bavaria Road. You moved it to the southwest corner of the property with minimal landscaping. It will now have a negative impact on us and the future value of nearby properties."

City Manager Don Uram pointed out that council would be reviewing bids and contracts later that evening. "Tonight on the agenda, the contracts are for the current location," he said. "There was a significant cost savings by moving the building forward."

CHANGE ORDERS COULD ACCOMMODATE

MOVING PUBLIC WORKS BLDG FURTHER BACK ON LOT

In response to the request of resident Lawrence Gubbe, Council discussed, that same evening of April 14th, moving the Public Works facility further back on the Bavaria Road site than was currently proposed, closer to where it was originally proposed.

Holly Kreft, Community Development Director, said the difference in the two location is about 100 feet. When council accepted and awarded bids that evening, they made provision for change orders to accommodate a relocation further back on the property.

Said City Manager Don Uram, "The reason for relocating the building was significant cost savings. The design was driven by the budget ... There is significant forest that is going to grow on the site and it's a significantly low profile building."

City Engineer Cara Geheren said moving the building forward meant less cost for site grading and less cost for paving surface. She said the forward site lowered the building and cut the scope of the project. She estimated a total of $200,000 to $300,000 in savings.

Councilmember Jim Crowley pointed out that since the scope of the project changed as well as the building location, the difference in cost due strictly to new location "is definitely less than $300,000."

One difficulty is that bids had already been received on the project being built in the forward location. "We're talking about a significant change in location and costs," said Mayor Tom O'Connor.

Asked Councilmember Jim Crowley, "Were the citizens informed or consulted on the change?"

It was pointed out the city held an Open House in January which included drawings and information on the Public Works facility, and also a city council workshop on January 27th. But the neighbors were not directly informed of the changes.

Said the engineer, "The city is planning to heavily landscape the area between the building and the road. Any shift back will cause us to exceed out budget. There is no room for berming. We'll be planting extensive trees."

Added Holly, "There will be significant evergreen trees and if built closer to the road and the building will be lower in height."

Cara reminded people that the salt storage shed and snow storage remains at the existing Public Works site on Stieger Lake Lane so the traffic at the Bavaria Road site will not be great. "Until we double the footprint and increase the yard space there, there's not a lot we can do there." Plans are to duplicate the building as the city grows and space needs increase.

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