WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DOWNTOWN VICTORIA?
AND WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG?
When this reporter-editor-type person returned from over two weeks in Alaska, she looked forward to her first trip to downtown Victoria to see the progress being made. So on Monday, August 4th, her first day home, she got behind the wheel of her white car and steered it directly to downtown Victoria.
Seeing with the eyes of an average person, she was disappointed.  The streets were still all torn up.  Big equipment was moving everywhere and giant holes were still being dug and refilled and dug and refilled and dug and refilled.  Businesses were still open, but I imagine that most of the owners inside those businesses stopped smiling long ago.
It seemed to me that nothing had changed at all, not only in the time that I was gone, but ever since Spring 2003 arrived.  How many times can the same streets be torn up?  My goodness, I said to myself, how darn many utilities have to be buried, and how often do they have to be buried, before we can get a paved street back in downtown Victoria?  And is it never ever in a hundred million miles ever possible to build and/or bury two utilities at the same time?  Is someone playing a bad joke on all of us?
But, according to City Adminis-trator Steve Sarvi, progress has been made in the downtown reconstruction project.  Street curbs are now coming in, and soon we should be driving on a paved street.  The reconstruction of each city street will include new sidewalks, street lights, and boulevard trees.  Most things are on schedule and going according to plan.
Acknowledges City Engineer Jack Griffin, "As always, construction activities are disruptive to everyday life.  We would like to apologize for any inconvenience that construction may cause.  We ask for your patience and cooperation."
Other city communication states:  "While we apologize for the noise and increased difficulty that new construc-tion brings, please continue to support your downtown Victoria businesses.  Travel will be more difficult at times, but by the end of the project, new buildings, new housing, and new business opportunities will be available."
Major utilities (municipal water lines and sanitary sewer lines) have now been repaired or replaced.  Huge concrete stormwater pipe has now been hauled into town and buried in the streets.  Done deal.  Electrical lines are now being buried alongside the freshly installed curb with anchor bases being constructed for light poles.  Red paint marks where the new light poles will be constructed.
In a few days the first course of bituminous is expected to appear on Rose Street and Stieger Lake Lane.  Staking is already being done for new trees on Rose Street and Stieger Lake Lane.  Green paint marks where they will be planted.
"Downtown Renovation" has been a goal of the people and councils of the City of Victoria for the past 25 years.  It's finally happening.  It ain't easy.  But since when has anything worth-while not involved a bit of suffering?  I'm not saying that we have to suffer in silence, however.  It's a lot more fun if we can complain a bit about it to each other once in a while.  It helps put other troubles in perspective, too.  I think everybody is working their butts off to help the project go smoothly and fastly.

THE LATEST FROM CITY ADMINISTRATOR STEVE SARVI
AS RECEIVED BY THIS WANDERING WAYFARER
Since the longest serving and most faithful (ahem!) and complete (aha!) purveyor of City Council News to the people of Victoria was in Alaska for 16 days (oofda!), she was unable to attend the July 24th city council meeting. 
She thusly and therefore obtained the latest up to date information through a phone call on August 4th to Victoria City Administrator Steve Sarvi.  Thank you, Steve, for taking time to answer my questions so I can report the following:
*Owners of Schmitty's Tavern and Floyd's Bar asked for permission to ex-tend their hours of operation until 2 a.m., as new State Law allows.  Councilmem-bers saw no need to extend the open time beyond 1 a.m., said Steve.  The reasons given by the bar owners were "not compelling."  Council denied permission to extend the hours.

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