Annual Victor Gardens Neighborhood Garage Sale will be May 8-10 this year!

It's official... Victor Gardens neighborhood garage sale will be Thursday, May 8th - Saturday, May 10th.  

Hours will be posted as 8A-2P.  These days of the week and times have been most successful for us in years past.  Feel free to open your sale during any/all of the days!  If you will be having a sale, feel free to email me your address and hours open at juliebixby1@gmail.com so I have a general idea of where the sales are each day.  I'll do my best to send shoppers your way!

I will take care of placing ads in local papers, on Facebook and Craigslist.  I would encourage everyone to post their own sales as well on Craigslist and other social media outlets.  Spread the word!

I will need a few people to volunteer to put signs out on Wed night and pick them up on Saturday afternoon.  All neighbors participating are also encouraged to post their own signs directing shoppers to their garages.  

Any questions... please let me know.  Looking forward to another successful sale this year!

Theft reported: Lock your vehicles, secure your doors and windows.

I just found out about this…. 

One of my neighbors asked me to post this account of what she saw early yesterday morning (4/22/14):

Around 1:45 am-2:00 am a man got out of a parked SUV on a street in VG's Single Family Village.  The resident who observed the man wasn’t very close to the SUV, but she believed the man was one of her neighbors.  Something seemed odd, however, because the man was walking past a few of the nearby houses.  The resident’s dog began barking when the man turned toward’s the resident's house. The man then climbed back into the SUV and drove off. The resident reported the incident to the Washington County Sheriff.  Unfortunately, it appears the man stole a number of items from another resident’s vehicle parked on the street.

"If you see something, say something.”  Immediately report any suspicious activity- call 911.

Vehicle thefts are rare in this neighborhood, but this is not the first time it’s happened.  

Secure your vehicles in your garage.  Lock your vehicle and home's doors and windows. The number one reason for motor vehicle theft is keys left in an unlocked car.  Also, most home burglaries occur during the summer months during the day.  The average burglar spends no more than 4-5 minutes to break in.

Read more: Theft/burglary prevention tips from Washington County’s website.

Top 5 Auto Theft Prevention Tips

• Always take your keys

• Always lock your car

• Remove/Conceal Valuables

• Never leave your car running

• Use a security system

Local photographer shoots in Victor Gardens

Laura Carroll, a Victor Gardens resident, wrote me today to share some photos she took in our own neighborhood.  The walk along VG's nature trails looks fun!  Check them out at Laura Carroll Photography's blog.  Thanks for sharing them Laura!

Need help communicating with residents

I've recently received a few comments from neighbors that this VG News website, VG News' Facebook page, and related neighborhood calendar and email subscription services aren't providing as much information as they should. I agree.

My goal for these VG info sources has always been to provide as much information as possible in a time frame that is relevant to readers.  Unfortunately, my time is more limited than ever and I can't write about everything I'd like to. 

Since I started the website in 2007, none of these info sources have ever been "official", but a number of people have found them helpful. We are fortunate that in the last few years, the website and Facebook have added a few more authors. (Thanks Lisa, Julie & Dawn!) I would absolutely welcome a few more authors too.

Could you help post more neighborhood news on this website and our Facebook page?  Especially helpful would be summaries from VG's sub-association's board meetings and master board meetings. 

Please let me know if you're interested in pitching in.  Thanks!

-MV

Annual Meeting of VG's Single Family Village HOA

It's that time of year again for the Victor Gardens Single Family Village (SFV) annual Homeowners Association meeting.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 7:00 PM at Hugo Rice Lake Centre, 6900 137^th St. N., Hugo MN 55038. It is our goal to keep the meeting informative and brief as possible.

In order for your Homeowner’s Association to operate, residents must attend the Annual Meetings or send in their proxies. Your cooperation is very appreciated.

Especially important is the election. One Director will be elected to the SFV Board. This Director represent your interests in our neighborhood. After the election, two of our SFV Directors will be appointed to represent our Association on the Master Board.

Meet your neighbors and learn more about what's happening in your neighborhood.
This year the Board of Directors will update homeowners on neighborhood news as it relates both to the Single Family Village and the Master Associations. We truly believe that providing Homeowners with this information during the meeting is beneficial to everyone. We will also leave ample time at the end of the meeting for new business and a Homeowner Forum. This will give homeowners an opportunity to talk about issues that are important to them. We want to hear from you and welcome this type of involvement from our community.

Please check victorgardensnews.org the day before the meeting in case of a time/location change or for any important announcements. In the interim, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact any of your Single Family Village Board members.

We hope everyone can attend the meeting. See you on April 29th.

Sincerely,

Victor Gardens Single Family Village Homeowners Association Board of Directors