GOODBYE, THICKETS AND THISTLES!
WELCOME TO VICTORIA SITE GETS BEAUTIFIED
Members of the City of Victoria Public Works Department spent part of Monday morning, June 25^th, excavating poor dirt from around the Welcome to Victoria monument.  Good soil will be returned to the site in time for Kyle Wall of Victoria to landscape and beautify the area yet this summer and earn his Eagle Scout badge. 
John Hoffman is operating the bobcat in the back.  Front (l-r):  Public Works Superintendent Bruce Osborn, Summer Assistants Tim Amundsen and Justin Berg, Al Zellman hauling with the trailer.  In past years, plantings around the Welcome to Victoria monument occurred mainly through volunteer efforts of local gardeners and businesses, but it's quite a "monumental" task.

VICTORIA STREETS PROJECTS CONTINUE
FROM ONE NEIGHBORHOOD TO THE NEXT
Councilmembers voted 4-1 on June 14^th to fund the 2007 street and drainage projects in the amount of $1.9 million, with the sale of general obligation im-provement bonds.
Each year, for some time now, the City of Victoria has undertaken a major street improvement project with the goal to improve all the city streets in a timely fashion.  The projects were prioritized according to street deterioration in the various city neighborhoods.
This year Smithtown Road and Woodstone areas in Deer Run are slated for improvement.  Contract for a com-bined bidding and construction project was awarded in May, 2007, with work to be done this summer.
Street and utility projects each year have been funded in the same manner.  This year, however, city staff recommend-ed that water and sewer core fees be in-cluded in the bonds in order to preserve core cash reserves.  Cash reserves in the water and sewer core funds have fallen due to the decline in development.  Kim Roden voted nay on the motion.
According to policy in the City of Victoria, the city pays half the construc-tion cost of street reconstruction while benefiting properties are assessed for the other half of costs.

CITIES DANCE TO THE TUNES
OF MET COUNCIL AND WATERSHED DISTRICT
Council voted to spend $33,300 for a professional services contract for the Water Resources Plan Update.  This up-dating is necessary in order to meet the standards of the Metropolitan Council.  Revised goals and objectives of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District must also be incorporated.

Stated Councilmember Jim Paulsen, "This is a big deal.  Looks like they're playing the tunes and we're dancing to it."
Agreed Mayor Mary Thun, "This is a constant flow of money from our small cities.  Cities have to start mobilizing their legislators.  These kind of things are going to drive cities into the ground."
"If it's not done," said Councilmem-ber Tim Amundsen, "the only people who'll suffer is us."
Holly Kreft, Director of Planning, stated, "We're anticipating a $20,000 grant to help offset costs."

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