ACORN HOUSE CONTINUED:  Said Steve, "We need to put some value on the space.  Right now I don't see that it's a huge issue.  The preschool is gener-ally in early mornings and doesn't func-tion in the summer as Tamarack.  It's fair to offset the value number because of its value to the community."
As for Park and Rec members simultaneously operating a business at the Acorn House, Steve said, "It's generally, by law, not a conflict of interest because the park board is only a recommending body.  But Council has to feel it is unbiased and that there's not a personal gain with the recommendation.  There are others on the park board who work for a non profit organization."
The city administrator also pointed out that not many businesses and groups are small enough to operate in a space the size of the Acorn House.
Said Councilmember Dave Lindgren, "I don't see anything wrong with what Dawn Peterson is doing there.  I think it's an asset to this community.  Jerry Bohn called me and said the city should be pay-ing her ... I feel somewhat responsible for this.  Dawn is a neighbor of mine.  I en-couraged her to get on the park board.  I didn't want to open up a can of worms."
Said Councilmember Richard Tieden, "We're sorry this came to us in such a convoluted way.  The contract we had no knowledge of and was made without our understanding.  Also, $250 a month is a small amount for such an extensive facility.  I feel pressure to get this done for the comfort of the parents, but it opens us up to a whole lot of other things as we get ready to build the field house.  It just wasn't an appropriate way to do things."  Mayor Mary asked Steve Sarvi to see what other cities are doing with their Park and Rec and private organizations.

NEW POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR VICTORIA
COULD EASILY BE 14,800 BY THE YEAR 2002
Engineer Jack Griffin and City Planner Mark summarized a study they conducted on housing units in the City of Victoria.  The study showed there were 417 housing units already petitioned for platting and being built in Victoria since 2000, which is enough housing stock to see the city through the next 2.78 years, assuming an average of 150 units per year.
It determined an additional 460 units of "in-fill" development.  Altogether, the 877 units should get Victoria through the year 2005. 
Lying just outside Victoria, but ready for development, are 200 possible units west of Watermark and 258 possible units south of Deer Run that can be annexed to the city.
The study predicts a Victoria popula-tion of 14,800 by the year 2020, which is much greater than the 7,800 population forecast by Thibault and Associates and identified in the Comprehensive Plan.  It was pointed out that Bill Thibault based his projections on 42 new units per year in Victoria, which was the going number at the time of his study in 1996.  Today the best estimate is 150 new units per year coming into the city.

ACCESS AT HIGHWAY 7 A PROBLEM
MnDOT HOPES TO CORRECT UNSAFE SITUATION
On Tuesday, March 12th, Victoria councilmembers directed City Planner Mark Kaltsas and TKDA engineer Jack Griffin to propose a design and landscape plan that might appease neighbors as safe-ty concerns are addressed at Highway 7 in Victoria.
The Victoria intersection at Hwy 7 and Rolling Acres Rd/Smithtown Rd has been on the drawing and reconstruction board for some time now.  It is necessary to the make that intersection safer, and it is also necessary to make a safer entry from Highway 7 into the Foxglove neighborhood of Victoria -- which is just east of Smithtown Road.
The situation is a relatively compli-cated issue to satisfactorily define without the aid of maps and long history.  In summary, a new section of road needs to be constructed north of Hwy 7 from the South Lake Virginia Shores cul de sac, east to properties owned by the Eggers and Sepiol families.
At the same time, a turn lane into Foxglove Circle on the south side of Hwy 7 and a bypass lane on the north side of Hwy 7 at Foxglove are needed, and have been needed for a long time.  The area is notorious for accidents, according to resi-dents in the area.
Stated Mayor Mary Meuwissen, former resident at Foxglove, "We have to make it as palatable as possible.  It has seen accident after accident.  It's such a danger zone.  And it won't be a Foxglove resident getting hurt, but one of their friends!"
Added Foxglove resident Herb Strom, "My wife and I are retired out there.  We hope to die a natural death.  There have been all kinds of accidents and at least one death.  I hope something works out so we don't lose that bypass turn lane."
The Minnesota Department of Trans-portation (MnDOT) is responsible for the intersection and street construction project.  The City of Victoria has agreed to assist its residents in the area with landscaping needs.
In acknowledging several facets of the project, especially those related to safety of the Foxglove families and friends as they enter and exit their neighborhood from State Highway 7, Mayor Mary said, "I don't think the city can say we're going to correct every problem on the MnDOT property.  The entire Smithtown project has been a long haul with MnDOT."
Several residents from the north side and south side of Hwy 7 in that area of Victoria attended this special council meeting to support an esthetic and safe project.
On March 14th councilmembers ap-proved a resolution authorizing the mayor and city administrator to execute and enter into an agreement with the State of Minnesota for the improvement of Trunk Highway 7 construction.  It provides for payment by the city to the State for the city's share of the costs of the sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and watermain construction and other associated con-struction to be performed upon, along, and adjacent to Virginia Shores Circle, Bay-view Drive, the Irish Street cul de sac, and Smithtown Rd located along the north side of Highway 7.
Councilmembers also approved a resolution authorizing the mayor and city administrator to execute and enter into an agreement with MnDOT for the traffic control signal at Hwy 7 and Rolling Acres Road.
Also, Council authorized the expendi-ture of $12,000 for the purchase and installation of proposed landscaping following completion of the MnDOT portion of Virginia Shores Street Exten-sion.  Planner  Mark Kaltsas is working on the plan.   Click here for more City Scoop.