May 4, 2007

PUD Amendment Public Hearing - May 10, 2007

A message from the City of Hugo Planning Commission was forwarded from Dave Hempel, CPDC.  It concerns another proposed bank and new Blue Heron Grill Restaurant.

Portions of it are excerpted below:

April 24, 2007

To Whom It May Concern:

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, May 10, 2007 at Hugo City Hall to consider the request from United Properties... for a PUD Amendment and Preliminary Plat for 3 lots on 10.52 acres to be known as Victor Gardens North Village 4th Addition.  The plat would include the existing site of Festival Foods, and a future bank and Blue Heron Grill Restaurant.  

The property is located at the northeast corner of CSAH 8 [Frenchman Road] and Victor Hugo Blvd. ... 

Anyone wishing to comment can be heard at this time.

Sincerely,

Michele Lindau, Secretary

Planning Commission

May 3, 2007

Spring Walk-Through Proposed

Last Spring, neighbors had the opportunity to walk through Victor Gardens, pointing out areas of concern to CPDC’s Homer Tompkins.   During the Annual Meeting , Mr. Tompkins believed another “walk-through” would be a good idea this Spring.   Since then, he has contacted me to renew his offer to attend.

There are a list of questions already compiled, but any neighbor who wishes to add a question or concern, please emailmark@victorgardensnews.org

I will inform residents when the walk-through is scheduled.  It will likely be within the next few weeks.

Message to Dog Owners

Please be considerate of your neighbors.

Dog waste:

Dog waste is showing up in many of the common areas and on other neighbor's property.

In addition to being nasty to look at, dog droppings are harmful: 

  1. Dog feces contain disease-carrying bacteria and toxins that can increase the risk of viral infections and flu.

  2. Infective worm eggs and larvae in dog feces can transmit diseases from your dog to people. Roundworm, hookworm and other parasitic worms may be transmitted to young children and people with compromised immune systems who sit or play in grass or wood chip mulch where dog feces are present.   

  3. Ocular larva migrans - an eye disease caused by parasitic worms found in dog droppings can cause serious eye damage to young children.

  4. Dog feces and urine can result in lawn burn or dead patches.  When it's your dog on your neighbor's lawn, or in all of our common areas, it can cause hard feelings towards you, and your dog.

Unleashed dogs:

Owners may believe their own dog is friendly and safe. Unfortunately an unleashed dog running around can justifiably make people, especially children, nervous or afraid. No one should feel apprehensive about going outside their homes, or to our parks because of unleashed dogs.

May 1, 2007

Pratt Villas Under Construction

In the southern portion of Victor Gardens East, Pratt has begun construction of its new Villas.  They will be similar to the St. Olaf, Marquis, and Ardmore products built by Pratt in the Dancing Waters development.

Click here to view elevations and plans of the the new buildings.

Retail Construction Progresses

Work continues on retail buildings near the Main Entrance of Victor Gardens.  The new building’s style and appearance will be similar to what is currently seen in the KinderGardens and Clinic building.

The new shops are scheduled to include Hugo Eye Clinic, USA Karate, Guys & Dolls Salon, Anytime Fitness, and Fantastic Sam’s among others.

Click here to download the PDF showing colored elevations and site plan

Other Questions from the Annual Meeting

Other topics that came up during the Annual Meeting are being looked into.  These include water damage to tables in the Community Center, and updates to the Victor Gardens website and the Victor Gardens Intranet community website.  A request for a water fountain in Arbre Green Park, will also be addressed at the next Board of Directors quarterly meeting.

Vacant Lot Maintenance

Vacant unsold lots are scheduled to be cut on a monthly basis, or when the grass exceeds 8”, according to Dave Hempel from CPDC.

Repairs to Main Entrance

According to Dave Hempel from CPDC, the repairs to the main entrance to Victor Gardens at Frenchman Road are the responsibility of Washington County.  The repairs are in conjunction with the County’s expansion of Frenchman Road last year.  Mr. Hempel will be contacting the County about the issue.

New Bridges Near Completion

Two new bridges in the Eastern part of Victor Gardens are nearly finished.   The attractive bridges offer interesting decorative elements and will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.  New sidewalks currently under construction will connect the pedestrian pathways from Victor Gardens East to the rest of the Single Family Village and Townhomes near Frenchman Road.

Maintenance Update

Gina Higgins, our Community Manager, has an update on some of the maintenance work being performed in Victor Gardens this Spring.

  1. There is a work order in for the lights around the pond 

  2. The fountains should be turned on within the next couple of weeks

  3. The contractor that has been hired to do the annuals will be planting them the week of the 21st - 25th of May 

  4. The landscaping company will be thru shortly to remove the wrappings from the trees. 

  5. Other items will be handled as well.

Residents are encouraged to remove the wrappings from nearby trees.  As the weather warms, the wrappings can damage or kill the trees.  For kids looking for something to do outside, it’s an easy and fun thing to do.