Easter Egg Hunt - Saturday April 16, 3:00pm in Arbre Park

Fun for everyone!

Volunteers Needed for Easter Event!

The Victor Gardens events committee will be hosting a neighborhood-wide Easter Egg Hunt this year on Saturday, April 16th starting at 3PM in Arbre Park. An invitation will be posted/emailed out shortly!

The Easter Bunny is looking for assistants to join us at the VG Activity Center on Tuesday, April 12th starting at 6:30P to help fill the eggs that were so generously donated to the neighborhood by Carol, one of our residents.

Please consider taking even 30 minutes of your evening to help us out on the 12th. This should be a great event for everyone and we're very low on volunteers to help get the eggs ready for the big hunt!

Please email Julie Bixby (eventsbyjulie@gmail.com) if you can help us out on the 12th getting the plastic eggs filled.

Thanks in advance!

I-35E Construction Begins in May

According to KSTP.com I-35E is scheduled for resurfacing.  Blacktop will be removed and replaced with concrete between County Rd. 96 in White Bear Lake and the I-35E/I-35W split south of Forest Lake.

Traffic along that highway should be a real pleasure this summer, especially considering construction for the new I-35E exit 123 interchange at Hwy. 14.

Read more about it here.

Friends of the Parks

Recent constructive comments and discussion about Arbre Park's trees inspired me to think a little more about the possibilities.  Surely our neighborhood isn't the only one who has faced questions about parks funding.  As it turns out there are many, many other communities who have faced similar issues.

Across the country, resident-based organizations have taken steps to preserve and improve their local parks.   In fact this is such a popular idea that it has a recognized name that goes along with the effort.  Spending a few minutes Googling the phrase "Friends of the Parks" will yield volumes of information and inspiration. Through tree planting initiatives, volunteerism and business sponsorships these Friends of the Parks groups have made real differences in their communities.  High quality parks are in everyone's best interest and add value to all our homes. Maybe a Friends of the Parks initiative could work in Victor Gardens?

Although it'll be sad to see so many mature trees cut down in Arbre Park, this situation does create a unique opportunity for our future. Arbre Park wouldn't be the only one to benefit from additional community interest.  Val Jean or Victor Square Park are also City-owned parks that might also benefit. 

Would you consider forming or serving with a Friends of the Parks group?  Who knows... these "Friends" could work together with the City of Hugo and nearby residents to plan and implement a new potential park landscape.   If you're interested, please email me or reply to this post with a comment.  Be a friend of your park!

Hugo Dog Ordinance Changed - Licenses No Longer Required

City of Hugo makes major changes to its dog/animal ordinance.  License requirements have been dropped.  Read more here.

Pratt Homes to Build Another Single Family Home

Last night Victor Gardens Master ARC reviewed, discussed and approved plans for a new single family home near Arbre Park at 14295 Garden Way.  Pratt Homes submitted the plans and will build the home. The new home is not a model home.  It will be customized for its new owner and is expected to be completed within 3-4 months.

Potential Master Rules Change - Trash Container Storage

Last night the Master Board discussed potential changes to the Master Rules concerning storage of trash, garbage, and recycling containers on days other than pick-up days. Currently, there is no uniformly enforced policy.  Each sub-association has enforced rules differently.

A proposal to set one, uniform Master Rule covering all sub-associations was made.  The proposed new Master Rule would apply to all sub-associations/ all residents and require that trash and recycling containers be stored inside garages on all days other than pick-up day.  The exact proposed language was:

Trash, garbage, and other waste shall be kept only in covered sanitary containers, and shall be disposed of in a clean and sanitary manner.  Containers are to be kept in the garage at all times except on pick-up day.  Containers are to be returned to the garage as soon as possible after being emptied.

Arguments were made for and against the rule change by Board members and residents in attendance. The Board tabled a vote on the issue and will take up the matter again at it's next Master Board meeting.

Parade of Homes in Hugo

There are a two Victor Gardens homes on this year's Parade of Homes.  

Pratt Homes

Pratt Homes is featuring this 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom rambler in the Creek Side Villas.

Rottlund Homes is featuring this multi-level, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condominium.

Rottlund Homes

More Sirens as Tornado Season Approaches

According to The Citizen, Hugo will receive eight additional tornado warning sirens.  Read about it here.

Tornado sirens are designed to be heard while outside.  Unfortunately, they're sometimes difficult to hear inside the house.  Consider buying a NOAA Weather Alert Radio with S.A.M.E. technology.  A few years ago, our weather radio alerted our family to Hugo's tornado just prior to hearing the tornado warning sirens.  These radios work. Tornado season will be coming soon. Be prepared.

Large Trees in Arbre Park are Dying and will be Removed

The health of old trees in Arbre Park have been declining over the last several years. Cottonwoods are especially vulnerable to root disturbance. Unfortunately, road building around the park and other nearby construction likely started to affect their health years ago. Last Spring, a few of the old cottonwood trees died and had to be removed. It's llikely that all the remaining large cottonwoods will suffer the same fate.

Arbre Park's Cottonwood Trees

The dying trees have caused concern for public saftey. When a large branch recently fell down to the snow this winter, luckily no one was nearby. The City of Hugo and its Public Works Department are aware of these problems. Since Arbre Park is a City-owned park, the City will probably remove all the remaining old trees. This may happen sooner than later.

Once the old trees are removed, the question of replacement arises. The City of Hugo's parks budget is limited. Although there may be some City money available to purchase a few new trees, this may be an opportunity to create a partnership between residents and the City of Hugo

Attempted Stranger Abduction Leaves Hugo Residents Wary - as reported by the Citizen Newspaper

The following article was in this week's edition of The Citizen

By Carrie Reed
Contributing Writer, The Citizen

HUGO - Water’s Edge residents have been keeping a close eye on their children since a child on her way to school was approached by a stranger at the intersection of 149th St. N. and Farnham Ave. N. last week.

Staff  at the neighborhood’s Community Center staff  sent out e-mails to area residents and posted flyers throughout the area last Thursday. “BEWARE Attempted Abduction,” the e-mails were headlined. According to the flyer, a middle-school student was approached on her way to the bus stop by a man driving a “red-and-white Bronco-style” vehicle at approximately 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

Despite the neighborhood alert earlier in the week, details of the incident were not reported to the Washing- ton County Sheriff ’s Department until the student notified a Central Middle School counselor on Friday. 

The suspect, described as a tall and unshaven man, was reportedly driving a red “long- style” jeep according to police reports. Th e suspect had a young puppy in the car with him and asked the student if she was doing okay. She proceeded to the bus stop and the man followed her, but when another parent approached to drop off  their child, he drove away, police reports stated.
No license plate information was obtained. 

“Why no one from the community called us until Friday, I can’t answer that,” Sgt. Wayne Johnson, who is assigned to Hugo, told The Citizen on Monday. “I just met with Investigations today, and they continue to work on this.” 

Johnson said the type of vehicle is still unclear, and he urged anyone having additional information to contact the WCSO at its 24-hour non emergency number, 651-439-9381. “It could have been a Blazer, or an Explorer,” he said. Police records state that the counselor was aware of a man matching the description and known to have had previous run-ins with minors in the area. Deputies contacted the suspect, who denied being in Hugo at any time during the week. 

White Bear Area School District Director of Communications Marissa Vette said that the school contacted authorities last Friday as soon as the student came forward. A notice was e-mailed to parents suggesting they review safety protocols with their children.

—Deb Barnes
contributed to this story.

Volunteers Needed for Social Committee!

We are looking for volunteers to serve on the Victor Gardens Social Committee this year. Help plan a Movie Night, our first annual Easter egg hunt, National Night Out or a fun adults only event. We'd love to see some new faces (and old ones too!) this year.

Please plan to meet at Dunn Brothers (next to Festival Foods) on Thursday, March 10th at 7P. We will be talking about the Easter Egg Hunt first and then can discuss the remainder of the year.

Please consider volunteering this year. It's a minimal time commitment with a big payoff. These community wide events are a great way to keep our neighborhood a great place to live!

Any questions, please contact Julie Bixby at eventsbyjulie@gmail.com. If you can't make the meeting but would still like to be on the committee, just let me know.

Thanks!

Julie Bixby