Drs. Dungey, Menser & Associates

Victoria and Waconia.  952-443-2816

City of Lakes & Parks  952-443-2363

Creating great spaces for over 40 years.

952-368-4545

The Victoria Chamber of Commerce

952-334-7135

Carver County Environmental Services

1-800-535-7570

Experience God in a personal way. 

952-443-0062

Victoria American Legion

Post #1995.  Serving America.

The Victoria Fire Department

City of Victoria  952-443-2771

The Victoria Grapevine

A directory of Victoria businesses.

Located at www.VictoriaGazette.com

WATERBROOKE

Fellowship

Hook

Line & Sinker

Letters

to the Editor

Calendar

of Events

The Scoop

at City Hall

Front Page

Feature Story

Headlines

and bylines

From the

Editor

Notes and

Quotes

Order

paper Gazette

Click here to

Advertise

Victoria

Moments

Return to

Home Page

Email

the Gazette

Addie’s

Drawing

VICTORIA’S ACORN HOUSE DISAPPEARS

TO MAKE WAY FOR SECOND ICE SHEET

ALLEGHENY’S PLAYGROUND DISAPPEARS

TO MAKE WAY FOR BIGGER PARKING LOT

Part of the latest project at the Victoria Field House -- whereby the Acorn House was demolished in order for School District 112 to construct a second sheet of ice -- means expanding the parking lot and transplanting the playground equipment that currently lies across from the Allegheny Grove neighborhood on Kochia Lane to another location at Diethelm Park.

         On  October 9th Bridget Lund, resident at Allegheny Grove, stated, “We’ve lived here since 2005.  We love Victoria, the small town feel, the park across from us.  Things have changed.  Our park is being replaced by a parking lot.  We feel our berm is now inadequate.  There is a complete lack of privacy now.  This hurts our investment if we’d need to sell.  We’d like to raise our berm on the whole strip along Kochia.”

         Continued Ms. Lund, “We’d like heavy tree coverage and landscaping.  We’d like coverage for all the seasons.  We want it to be consistent with other neighborhoods in Victoria.  I’ve given Holly a petition.  We feel it’s a neighborhood issue and not just for the homes along the street.”

         Said Kim Anderson, also a resident at Allegheny, “We want to convey our concern and ask for your protection.  I love the Field House.  It’s not about that.  Both my kids play hockey, but we want you to add our concern to the project.  You’re taking a very nice green space and turning it into a parking lot.  We’re asking you to protect the ambience of our community and to look at all the viable options when it comes to screening.”

         City Administrator Don Uram reported  that Holly Kreft, the city’s Community Development Director, met with the Allegheny residents and walked the road with them. 
“From our standpoint there’s really no funding available for plants on the west side.  We’re getting cost estimates for the east side ... There will be an agenda item for Council in two weeks.”  Holly said she has consulted with an arborist and a traffic engineer. 

         Summarized Councilmember Jim Paulsen, “We’re talking about light pollution and sight pollution.  Let’s look at what we can do on the east side.”

         Stated Councilmember Tim Amundsen, “I don’t want things excluded.  I want all options and information so I can make a decision.”

***

         On October 23rd more Allegheny residents spoke to the issue.  Kim Anderson:  “It’s a great addition to the field house and it needs building but we don’t want to look at it.”  Brian Roth:  “People bought here because we saw that you valued green space.”  Jill Papa:  “We feel this is not just an Allegheny Grove issue.  This is a destination for a good part of Victoria.”  Kevin Aplin:  “I lived through your first stage of dust and dirt with construction of the field house and now again.  It’s kind of disheartening.”  Trevor Johnson:  “Maybe you could relocate some trees on their berm to the berm in front of my house.”

         Ann Mahnke, Victoria Director of Parks and Rec and Field House, was asked by Council to identify the numerous meetings that the city held with residents to try and resolve the various issues.  They were several gatherings mentioned.

         Councilmember Jim Paulsen gave a brief history of Diethelm Park since he was a Victoria City Councilmember when the 40 acres was originally purchased back in about 2000. 

 

Click here to continue Diethelm Park.

On Thursday, October 16th, an 18-wheeler moved into the parking lot next to the cleared site on the east side of the Field House, where the second ice sheet/Field House addition will be constructed by School District 112.  The truck’s heavy load consisted of reinforcement steel bars which will be set in place before the concrete is poured.