Victoria MN Newspaper-The Scoop at City Hall

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SELLING CITY-OWNED TOWNSHIP LAND

AND FINALIZING PURCHASE OF TREE FARM

City Manager Don Uram reported on September 4th that the city closed on the Hartman Tree Farm property on September 3rd. "We now own it," he said. Price tag on the ten acres was $700,000. It's where the new Victoria Public Works Facility will be located on Bavaria Road. It is surrounded by Arboretum land, more Tree Farm, and Bavaria Road.

Mr. Uram also reported that evening that the Fahey auction of the city's 94 acres in Laketown Township wouldn't be completed until September 23rd. "One of the first bids I saw was $1,000 per acre," he said. "Fahey said we probably won't see a lot of action until the last date. Six people signed up with interest. The city has ultimate authority." In other words, if the price isn't right, the sale won't be made.

Mr. Uram reported on September 23rd that the auction has been ongoing. He asked councilmembers to authorize the negotiation of a purchase agreement for 89+ acres for a total amount of $722,000 payment to the City of Victoria. The price was $8,100 per acre.

It was back in 2000 that the City of Victoria purchased the property for $425,000 which was just under $5,000 per acre. The acreage at that time may have included some county right of way.

Asked Mayor Tom O'Connor, "Are we happy with the price?" The answer was yes. Mr. Uram will bring back a purchase agreement to the councilmembers on October 14th. It was noted that the property has been generating about $14,000/year in rent income from an area farmer.

5-ACRE PARK FOR VICTORIA’S LAKEBIDGE

PARKLAND DEDICATION FEES PAID FOR IT

Council voted 5-0 on September 4th to accept the bid of $377,787 from K.A. Witt Construction of New Prague for the Lakebridge Park improvements. Lakebridge is the neighborhood west of downtown Victoria, just south of Highway 5, that will be comprised of 188 single family homes upon full buildout.

The park will include a park shelter, basketball court, ball field, soccer field, landscaping, and park equipment. Council also approved the additional expenditure of $49,945 for park equipment from Flagship Recreation.

Reported City Engineer Cara Geheren, "Only one bid was received. It's a real tight market for contractors in the business. The bid came in slightly below the engineer's estimate. This is the first and only park for that development."

Councilmember Joe Pavelko, a resident at Lakebridge, asked how much of the Park's cost came from the development itself.

Ann Mahnke, Director of Parks and Recreation, said that $466,000 was paid into the Park fund by the developer. It's a five-acre park. "We try to balance the dollar amount with the park development," said Ann. She said that Rhapsody Park is similar to Lakebridge, whereas the South Lake Virginia Shores Park is two acres in size.

"Why not spend on a Park only what went into the pot in that neighborhood?" asked Councilmember Jim Crowley.

Councilmember Tom Strigel replied, "So there's money left over to build trails to help connect the parks."

"When will the Lakebridge Park be available for use by the residents?" asked Mayor Tom O'Connor.

"Next spring," replied Ann. "If we have a mild winter, maybe the tot lot by November." Total price of the Park: $427,732. It's a public park that will primarily serve Lakebridge.

Total acreage of all the Lakebridge development phases is 116 net acres, not including the wetlands and Carl Krey Lake. It was originally platted in 2006.

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