Victor Gardens News

Here's an update. I brought this request/idea...

2012-02-03T15:34:26.882-06:00

Here's an update. I brought this request/idea to Kari Miller and the Board for their consideration. They were receptive to the idea, as this has come up in prior Board meetings also. The timing was good too as the Board looked at pool bids for next season. In the past, the pool opened at 10:00am each morning during the season. The Board is now in the process of approving an earlier open time at 6:00am. Opening earlier doesn't cost the Association any more, and the Board is able to designate that time (6:00am-10:00am) as "Lap Swim Time". Since it's early in the morning, it's likely that small children wouldn't be using the pool at that time anyway. It's a pretty good compromise and solution I think. Thanks for bringing the idea up again! - Mark

Cool idea. Thanks for posting! - Mark

2012-02-03T15:23:08.392-06:00

Cool idea. Thanks for posting!
- Mark

Thanks for both of your comments. It's always...

2012-01-25T08:52:44.952-06:00

Thanks for both of your comments. It's always a good idea to bring your opinions to the Board meetings so you can have the attention of the full Board. Some Board members may read this blog, but probably not all of them. It's always good for the Board to hear multiple viewpoints in person. So far, they've only really heard the resident viewpoint advocating "Lap Swim Time" or "Adult Only Swim Time".

Regarding the pool's hours: It's important to keep in mind that currently and in the past the pool opened at 10:00am. The proposal (above) was to open the pool an hour earlier, at 9:00am, to accommodate "Lap Swim Time". This proposal wouldn't take any time away from those who already use it. It would add an hour each day.

This is a good, productive conversation so far. Thanks again for your constructive comments. I'd be interested to hear more ideas regarding compromise or alternate ideas. Keep 'em coming!

Thanks!

-Mark

I agree that it would be hard on those with little...

2012-01-24T18:12:52.754-06:00

I agree that it would be hard on those with little kids to close the pool to them every morning of the week. Our family enjoys spending time at the pool before lunch and naps. Hopefully a compromise can be worked out. Those who have an interest in either adding or limiting adult swimming time should consider coming to the next Master Board meeting on Tues, March 6th.

I would like to suggest that laptime from 9-10A is...

2012-01-24T17:54:12.845-06:00

I would like to suggest that laptime from 9-10A is not every day of the week. We have used the pool in the mornings with smaller kids in the shallow end because it's not very busy during the morning hours. Having a lap swim each day of the week--even on all 5 work days would be a disappointment to those of us who use the pool for mornings with our smaller children. Because we don't have a kiddie pool and most young kids nap in the afternoon, I hope this would be considered.

How about replacing the clock with a nice wooden s...

2012-01-22T10:07:21.867-06:00

How about replacing the clock with a nice wooden sign that says "NORTH VILLAGE AT VICTOR GARDENS" and/or "ROSEMARY WAY".

VG's clock tower is north of Frenchman Rd. in ...

2012-01-19T11:31:21.400-06:00

VG's clock tower is north of Frenchman Rd. in the roundabout near the credit union and Festival Foods strip mall.

This clock has been repaired a few times, but unfortunately repairing clocks like these are expensive. Since they're exposed to the elements, they are prone to problems. In the past, the Board has considered replacing the clock with a alternate decorative element. It was mentioned most recently as part of the monument signage discussion. That issue hasn't progressed much in recent years though.
- Mark

Where is the location of the clock tower?

2012-01-19T11:22:17.066-06:00

Where is the location of the clock tower?

Can the clock on the clock tower be fixed? It has...

2012-01-17T19:07:01.612-06:00

Can the clock on the clock tower be fixed? It has not worked in 2 years.

I contacted Kari Miller today about this idea. Sh...

2012-01-17T14:56:18.132-06:00

I contacted Kari Miller today about this idea. She's done a little more research on it since then (researching potential additional costs, signs, enforcement, etc.). Sounds like she'll officially propose to the Master Board a rule change to allow for "Lap Swim Time" from 9-10am during the pool season.
- Mark

Terri wrote on VG News' Facebook: "Sound...

2012-01-15T12:35:15.038-06:00

Terri wrote on VG News' Facebook:

"Sounds good."

Mark wrote of VG News' Facebook: "There ...

2012-01-15T11:33:39.704-06:00

Mark wrote of VG News' Facebook:

"There are at least two ways this can work. One solution would be to be Kari Miller's and the Master Association's "eyes", and report the condition of the fountain every week to Kari. The second solution might be to report on the fountains condition every week to Kari, and also pour in some chemicals provided by the fountain contractor on a predetermined schedule. In any case, you shouldn't need to clean out the fountain with a shop-vac and a pressure washer. Your past work is very much appreciated, but those messy tasks are what the Master Association is paying the fountain contractor to do now. If we put a good plan in place soon, before the season starts, we can get a better (and earlier) start on the fountain when the weather starts to warm up.
- Mark "

Mark wrote on VG News' Facebook: "I'...

2012-01-15T11:24:05.057-06:00

Mark wrote on VG News' Facebook:

"I'll send both of you an email describing what we set up with Dan D. last year. It was a pretty good plan. You shouldn't have to do the cleanup, as this is a Master Common Element. I know you and Mike have worked on this with a few of your neighbors for years. Last year we thought the contractor was going to solve that problem, but to be honest, there wasn't enough oversight."

Gloria wrote on VG News' Facebook: "Betw...

2012-01-15T11:23:26.750-06:00

Gloria wrote on VG News' Facebook:

"Between Terri and myself, we should come up with a schedule. Let us know who to call. FYI. I usually do the initial cleaning of the fountain each spring. So, I don't need to do this anymore? Also, heads up, the kids dumbed a lot of debris in the fall. It is very messy."

Mark wrote on VG News' Facebook: "Great!...

2012-01-15T11:22:31.536-06:00

Mark wrote on VG News' Facebook:

"Great! Would you mind if I sent you an email with more details?"

Terri wrote on VG News' Facebook: "I can...

2012-01-15T11:21:46.691-06:00

Terri wrote on VG News' Facebook:

"I can check on it June-August."

The Master Board discussed this last year. Someon...

2012-01-15T11:16:00.656-06:00

The Master Board discussed this last year. Someone brought this topic for the Board to consider during a "homeowner forum" .

An "Adults-Only" policy is tricky to implement. The Board and our Community Manager looked into it a little more after that meeting, to see what other association's have done regarding adult swim time.

Some associations have "Lap Swim Time" in the mornings. The thinking is that lap swimming is generally preferred by adults. Calling it "Lap Swim Time" also avoids calling the activity something that's discriminatory (Like "Adults-Only Swim Time").

Lap Swim Time may be possible, and preferable in the mornings. From my experience, most of the kids show up in the afternoon when there's often a lot of activity and noise. It would be difficult to enforce a mid-day or end-of-day Lap Swim time.

Right now is a good time for the Master Board to consider this idea again. It's the time of year that the Board sets the budget for next year. Maybe the Board should consider adding another hour to the pool's schedule, in the morning, to accommodate an hour of "Lap Swim Time."

Is this something that you'd like me to ask Kari Miller, our Community Manager about?

- Mark

I'm not as familiar with the officially approv...

2012-01-15T10:47:35.665-06:00

I'm not as familiar with the officially approved screen doors for the Condo sub-associations, but I do know they were a topic of conversation at a few Master Architectural Review Committee (ARC) meetings last year. The Master ARC was interested in keeping a unified appearance throughout the sub association, avoiding a mix of different screen door styles and colors. Unfortunately, some of the proposed doors were similar to the approved door, but the "wrong" color. The approved doors needed to be special ordered. Of course, this made the door a bit more expensive.

The issue of installation is also important because the sub-association Boards and the Master ARC wanted to make sure that licensed and insured installers did the work.

If I might make a suggestion....

Since you were able to find the "right" door at a less expensive price, perhaps you might be interested in sharing that info with others on your sub-association's Board and your sub-association's representative on the Master ARC.

The ARC could let everyone know that the correct door is available at a better price and develop a list of recommended contractors to install them. (The contractors would need to be insured, licensed, etc.).

Bringing the info you have to your sub-association's Board would be my first step. They might be able to help develop the idea further to bring to the Master ARC. If that doesn't work, bring it to the Master ARC directly. It's the Master ARC that has the authority to approve any changes to exteriors related to condo sub-associations.

- Mark

I believe that there should be an adult only swim ...

2012-01-14T20:06:41.018-06:00

I believe that there should be an adult only swim time. I have bypassed the VG pool simply because of the amount of children swimming. I drive to the beach instead just for the space.

Allowing or providing residents with an alternativ...

2012-01-14T20:03:47.795-06:00

Allowing or providing residents with an alternative to the suggested MEI - Minnesota Exteriors storm doors. When I had first purchased my home I had MN Exteriors out to my home for a quote on a Larson screen door which came to $1200.00 installed. I was approved by the architectural committee to use the same proposed Larson screen door offered through MN Exteriors purchased through Menards for $300.00 installed.

Maybe more individuals would have opt to purchase screen doors if they knew of other options.

I know there was some discussion over the last few...

2012-01-14T15:17:23.865-06:00

I know there was some discussion over the last few years that I think intensified last summer & fall regarding the condition of the surface of the basketball court and the condition of the volleyball court. I know the City's Public Works Director was aware of problems with both of those areas. Do you know if any of those were improved prior to winter?

I wonder if Hugo's Parks Commission had any plan to change these areas. I know there was also discussion of the dead & dying trees in Arbre Park.

Maybe it's the right time to start asking those questions of Hugo's Park's Commission?

-Mark

I agree about the hockey rink or even a pleasure r...

2012-01-14T15:08:13.795-06:00

I agree about the hockey rink or even a pleasure rink where the never used volleyball court is. I believe Hugo only has one hockey rink in town. More would definitely be nice.

Great idea! A few years ago, a resident who lives ...

2012-01-14T14:24:11.033-06:00

Great idea! A few years ago, a resident who lives on Arbre Park asked about improving the landscaping at the postal station at Garden Way and Arbre. This postal station is located within Arbre Park (which is a City park), and the land around it is owned by the City. I asked the City's Public Works Director about this and he was very supportive of the idea. It would require a few formalities, however, including City approval of a landscaping plan. The City would look to the Master ARC's "blessing" on any plan.
Potential improvements would likely be viewed positively though, and wouldn't likely run into hurdles with VG's ARC or the City.
If you or anyone is interested in moving forward with this kind of idea (or one that's similar), I have examples of landscape plans that I could share with you. This would help you understand what VG's ARC & the City would be looking for.
This type of project also might be an opportunity to speak with Dan Steurnagel at Goetz Landscape about the possibilities. Dan's really familiar with projects like this and he's worked closely with VG's ARC and the City on a number of VG landscape improvement projects.
VG's Grantaire Green is a good, completed example of a close partnership between an interested resident volunteer, VG's ARC, Par-Aide (for the benches), the City of Hugo, and Goetz.
- Mark

I'm not much of a skater, but I know that some...

2012-01-14T14:04:07.209-06:00

I'm not much of a skater, but I know that some residents in a few locations around the single family village have shoveled off rinks on some of the neighborhood ponds. I know the Master Board frowns on doing this on the Victor Square pond because of the fragile landscaping and pond pump equipment. But it seems like the big pond between the pool and the Clearwater Creek bridge might work really well for this?

One thing that would be nice to consider is a hock...

2012-01-13T19:17:03.835-06:00

One thing that would be nice to consider is a hockey rink. There are so many young kids in the neighborhood that would love to have a rink close to home. Unfortunately there aren't very many hockey rinks nearby and our neighboring cities (Roseville, Shoreview and Arden Hills) have one at almost every park. Also, during the summer months rinks are excellent for kids soccer.