City of Hugo Takes Quick Action - Repairs Street Lights

Residents frustrated with multiple, months-long requests of Connexus Energy to repair street lights received good news this afternoon.  

Yesterday, a group of affected residents asked Hugo's Public Works Director, Scott Anderson and our City Council Member, Becky Petryk for help.  They immediately communicated a repair plan and followed through with quick action today. City crews repaired at least five street lights in the Single Family Village.  The lights that were non-working last weekend have all been fixed.

We're very fortunate to have such responsive folks at City Hall and in the Public Works Department.  On behalf of our residents, thanks to Scott Anderson and his crew along with our City Council Member Becky Petryk. 

Lawn Care - $50 Sprinkler Blow Out & Winterization

$50 Sprinkler Blow-Out

Tony Schwab volunteered again this year to coordinate services with lawncare professional, Shawn Herman from Classic Lawnscape. Shawn offers a Victor Gardens discount to perform seasonal blowing out and shut-down of resident's individual sprinkler systems. Shawn's offered this service for the last few years. He always does a thorough and professional job.
Shawn's price for blowing-out sprinklers is again $50.00 per home. He plans on performing the work on Saturday, October 22nd and Sunday, October 23rd.

If you'd like to sign-up for this service, please Call Tony Schwab (651) 429-2000 (home). Shawn Herman can also be reached directly at (612) 366-6088.
*Disclosure

Lawn Care - $40 Core Aeration Service

Core Aeration Promotes Healthy Grass

Tony Schwab has spoken to Jeff Ambrose of Pro-Aire Lawn Service again this year about lawn core aeration services.
Jeff has offered his aeration services to Victor Gardens residents for a number of years and does a very professional job. He's offering a Victor Gardens discount rate of $40/per lawn regardless of size. That's less than what most others charge for this service. For do-it-yourselfers, this is a pretty good deal considering the cost of renting the machine, time and effort involved, plus the cost of gas.
Jeff did a great job on our lawn over the last five years, and I would recommend his services to anyone.
Call Jeff directly at (651) 274-1535. He's currently coordinating a schedule of Victor Gardens appointments.
According to the U of M Extension Service website: "Core aeration is the best method of dealing with the problem of compaction in the lawn. Aeration promotes moisture and air penetration into soils, resulting in deeper and healthier root systems on the grass plants. ... The best time of year to aerate the lawn is late August to early October. Aeration can be done in the spring but will lead to additional weed seeds being brought to the surface where they may germinate. In fall, weed seeds will also be brought to the surface, but they will not sprout."
* Disclosure

Lights On for Security

The neighborhood has a few street lights that aren't working properly. Along with a few individual residents, Board members reported some of them to Connexus Energy and the City of Hugo earlier this summer.  Unfortunately, repairs haven't been completed on a few of them.  With a renewed effort, and to get the most attention from those who are responsible for repairs, please report street light outages again (via this link).  More reports may receive greater attention.

Outdoor lights within the Association's property and city park structures should also be lit at night. If you notice one isn't working, check to see if the switch is off.  If you notice a bulb outage or another problem, please contact Kari Miller.

Car Thefts and Suspicious Activity Last Saturday Night

Early reports of very unusual neighborhood crimes were told to me by residents today.

A parked car was stolen late Saturday night from inside a garage in the Single Family Village neighborhood.  Keys were inside the car and the garage door was accidentally left open.  The car was later found undamaged about 15 miles away.

A different resident reported to the Sheriff that their car's catalytic converter was cut out and stolen the same night.  The car was parked outside their garage in the driveway.

The same night, yet another neighbor reported their home's central alarm was activated by the opening of a rear patio door.

Hugo Hoedown this Saturday, 9/24!

The first annual Hugo Hoedown is coming to Lions Park this Saturday, September 24th. The event is sponsored by the Hugo Lions and will take place from noon until midnight.

Hot dogs, brats, corn, and beer will be for sale. Attendees can also enjoy live country music by Cross Fire under the Big Tent and play in a bean bag tournament with prizes. Inflatables will also be available for kids.

Long-Term Planning in Victor Gardens

The Master Board would like direct and active input from interested residents about the future of our community.  Ideally this committee would plan for Victor Gardens' future, including goal setting, new building and beautification projects, long term maintenance, Neighborhood Activity Center policies, etc. 

The Board is also looking for volunteers to serve on our current Landscape Committee.  Even if you'd like to volunteer to report problems in one specific area (a fountain or a small common area for example), every volunteer counts. 

Residents interested in serving on these Committees should attend the Victor Gardens Community Association's (Master) next meeting Sept 29, 6:00pm at Victor Gardens Neighborhood Activity Center.

Thanks for a Great Movie Night!

Thanks to Shloe, Stacy, Roger and Kevin for a great movie event last night. Everyone had a great time!

Reminder: Friday Night is Movie Night!

Movie Night in Val Jean ParkThe weather's looking promising for Friday's Movie Night in Val Jean Park. Join us for another cinema under the stars event! Share conversation, snacks and a cup of lemonade with your neighbors.  The kids can burn off energy in the playground and soccer fields for their own pre-show entertainment.  Bring your lawn chairs & blankets - the feature begins at sunset!


Rio - About the Movie
Blu is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly and lives in Moose Lake, MN. Blu thinks he's the last of his kind, but learns about another Macaw in Rio de Janeiro. The adventure begins as he searches for Jewel, his female counterpart. Will he have the courage to fly and thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail?   Rated G.

• Friday, September 9 at 7:30 pm 
• Val Jean Park
• Lemonade and snacks provided
• Rain Date: Saturday, Sept. 10  (check victorgardensnews.org for weather updates)

See you there!

Park Grass Looking Good

Goetz Landscape and the City of Hugo have worked together towards major improvements in the condition of our parks over the last two years.  This successful public/private partnership continued this week with the Master Board authorizing Goetz Landscape to core aerate park turfgrass and another application of herbicide and fertilizer. Val Jean Park's grass is looking great and is in great condition for Friday's Movie Night.

City of Hugo Adopts New Commercial & Industrial Design Standards

According to the August 18th edition of The Citizen written by Deb Barnes,

New Commercial, Industrial Design Standards Adopted

At its Aug. 1 meeting, the Hugo City Council approved a resolution implementing new commercial and industrial design guidelines developed by the Planning Commission.

Council also amended the city’s Zoning Ordinance to include a requirement that commercial and industrial construction standards incorporate the city’s new design guidelines by reference.

Both the Economic Development Authority and the Planning Commission agreed, a staff memo stated, that there was a way to create design guidelines to encourage quality architecture in Hugo without discouraging businesses to locate in the city.

Standards largely consist of pictures of buildings that do, and do not, incorporate desired design elements. Those elements are: four-sided design; wall and roof projections, faced details and windows; varied but compatible building colors; dei ned entry areas; integrated signage; utility and equipment screening; and architecturally compatible lighting and rooftop drainage systems.

The document makes exceptions for the expansion of existing commercial and industrial uses that do not currently have access to public utilities, with the idea that adhering to more stringent requirements would make future redevelopment of those sites more dii cult once utilities are extended.

Heritage History Lab Returns to Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park

According to KMSP-TV, 

Anoka County Parks and Recreation is encouraging schools to sign up for the Heritage Living History Lab this fall.

The outdoor living history program, which takes place at the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve, lets students experience Minnesota history through eight different time periods.

The eight stations are led by presenters dressed in period costumes and teach students about milling, mining, and lumbering, which is this year’s topic.

According to a statement from the nature center, the program serves approximately 250-300 students in grades 1-7 every day.

The program will be offered for 15 days beginning Set. 14. For more information or to register, call 651-429-8007.