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The Victoria GAZETTE |
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VICTORIA TO ANNEX 495 MORE ACRES PER AGREEMENT WITH LAKETOWN TOWNSHIP Council voted unanimously on August 22nd to request the annexation of 495 acres of Laketown Township into the City of Victoria. This particular acreage is located south of Lake Wasserman. The City of Victoria has been annexing portions of Laketown Township since the Orderly Annexation Agreement was adopted back in 1976. That agreement described the areas of the township that would eventually be annexed by the cities of Victoria, Chaska, and Waconia. The first portion of Laketown Township annexed to the City of Victoria occurred in 1977 when the Hartwood and Lake Auburn areas became part of the City of Victoria. The next annexation included the Zumbra Ridge and Bayshore/Baycliff areas of Victoria in 1981. In 1987 Fred Plocher requested that Victoria Farms property be annexed into the city; it became Deer Run. Annexations have continued and are expected to continue until Victoria becomes the largest city in Carver County. "There are only 10 property owners requesting this annexation," stated Holly Kreft, Community Development Director, "but staff is recommending that all the properties east of County Road 43, north of Marsh Lake Road, and west of County Road 11 be annexed into the city." The additional six parcels prevent a leapfrogging pattern and keep the city boundary lines clean and straight. "Marsh Lake Road is now a gravel road," said Holly, "and it is slated to become a county road and an extension of Pioneer Trail. It is best to annex the entire right of way of Marsh Lake Road at this time but the Township will continue to maintain it as a gravel road and the city will reimbuse the Township." Holly said the annual maintenance of the gravel road is approximately $6,000." She said one of the reasons for the annexation is that some property owners would like to actively market their properties. If they lie within the City of Victoria, developers can petition for city services such as water and sewer. As Holly explained, "The property owners that currently have their property for sale would want city services extended in the future." "With three units per acre, there could be 1,000 units able to be developed in that area," said Holly. "It would be about a 20-year absorption rate at our current level of development," said Administrator Don Uram. According to Holly, the current physical size of the City of Victoria is 6,330 acres. This annexation would increase the size of Victoria by approximately 8% to 6,825 acres. The annexation becomes final in about 30 days. Said Holly, "After the resolution is signed by the Township and the Mayor, it will be sent to the Office of Boundary Adjustment at the State of Minnesota, and an Administrative Law Judge will review and issue an order. At that time the annexation will be official."
FIXING VICTORIA’S SOCCER FIELDS COULD BE READY FOR PLAY IN FALL OF 2012 Council voted 3-1 on August 8th to accept bids and award the contract for the Diethelm Park soccer field improvements to Cobalt Contracting of Coon Rapids. Total contract cost is $175,000. Adding soft costs such as engineering and inspection brings total project cost to just under $200,000. City Engineer Cara Geheren reminded councilmembers they approved plans and specifications on June 13th. She said two bids were received and opened on August 1st. They are targeting September 16th as a "substantial completion date" and September 30th as the "final completion date." They should be ready for play by next fall at the earliest, according to Administrator Don Uram. Asked Mayor Thun, "Are we going to have any recourse next year if something doesn't work or grow?" "There are built-in warranties," replied Cara. "Who is really going to watch this?" asked Councilmember Tom O'Connor, wary of past issues at the site, where new soils were poor and wouldn't grow a soccere field and so they've sat unused for a couple years or so. The fields along 86th Street were reconstructed poorly as part of the Rec Center expansion project in 2008/2009. "We'll have someone from TKDA on site," said Cara. Stated City Administrator Don Uram, "We will certainly manage the project differently so we don't run into the same problems." As part of a settlement, the City of Victoria was reimbursed nearly $98,500 in costs associated with the failed project, which will be applied to this correction. Councilmember Jim Crowley voted against the motion to approve. "I'm still struggling with this," he said. "I'm not in favor of a soccer field." Councilmember Tom Strigel was absent on August 8th.
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Sue’s Album A symphony of photos and fewer than a thousand words at www.VictoriaGazette.com |
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September 2011 |
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City Scoop Continued |
