Victoria Park and Recreation Committee recommends 2026 work plan to City Council

The City of Victoria Park and Recreation Committee voted March 16 to recommend the committee’s 2026 work plan to the City Council, directing staff to incorporate public engagement steps, pursue nontraditional park spaces and continue preparatory work for Hunters Brook and Marsh Hollow.

Alyssa Nelson, assistant city manager, framed the work plan as the committee’s guiding document for the year and reviewed 2025 accomplishments, including adoption of a public engagement policy and neighborhood outreach at Hunters Brook and Marsh Hollow. “Each year, city council tasks each committee or commission to create a work plan, which is really our guiding document,” Nelson said, describing how staff will use the plan to shape future agendas and outreach.

The plan emphasizes three guiding principles adopted by council in 2023: develop a unique Victoria that leverages the city’s lakes and natural features; create a stronger sense of place through consistent amenities and signage; and embrace existing infrastructure by using the city’s trail and sidewalk network. Nelson noted the comprehensive 2050 plan will fold in larger park-system planning and that the capital improvement program already budgets a Lions Park master plan for 2028.

Staff confirmed ISG has been selected as the design firm for the Hunters Brook and Marsh Hollow projects and said design work could be bid this year with construction currently anticipated to start in the fall. Nelson also said city attorneys are reviewing termination clauses in the partnership contract that governs the Victoria Recreation Center — a facility currently operated in partnership with Eastern Carver County School District 112 — so the committee will be better prepared when the district begins long-range facility planning in 2027.

Committee members pressed staff to make schedule notes in the plan to avoid the appearance of inactivity after a slow meeting cadence in late 2025. Nelson said staff will add footnotes explaining deferred items and will track new residential or commercial development reviews as applications arrive. The committee also requested an educational briefing on how park projects are funded; Nelson said new park acquisitions are financed through the park dedication fund, which is funded by development fees, and staff will present an informational overview.

After discussion, a member moved and another seconded a motion “to recommend the work plan for the Park and Recreation Committee for 2026 to the City Council as outlined and discussed with the changes that we discussed here.” The committee voted in favor and the motion carried; the transcript does not record individual vote tallies.

The committee will return to design review and public-engagement details for Hunters Brook and Marsh Hollow at upcoming meetings and will receive the educational funding overview and the community-survey questions when they are available. The committee also agreed staff will annotate the work plan schedule where items are contingent on outside partners or pending applications.