| Public Works | Public Services | Area Organizations |
| Victor Area Businesses | Housing | Financial condition |
| Economic Development | Action Plan | Introduction |
This Plan provides a systematic way to manage, change, and create the best possible future for the City of Victor. It is intended to give the City a greater sense of purpose and direction in planning the community's future vision. In order to form a unified future vision for Victor, commitment and effort are required from all citizens and resources in the community.
The Plan focuses on many areas of the community life, including the economy, quality of life, recreation and education. The City government, organizations and citizens of Victor need to take responsibility for such development by analyzing the success and shortcomings of this Plan on a regular basis, and be able to recommend the necessary changes to keep this Plan viable and up-to-date.
This Plan was created to help serve as a guide for the City's development for the next five years. It addresses the community's strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.
Image and Attitude
The City of Victor is located in Iowa and Poweshiek counties. Victor is strategically located on the Interstate 80 corridor approximately one hour east of Des Moines, 45 minutes west of Iowa City, and 1 1/2 hours west of the Quad Cities.
I. PUBLIC WORKS.
WATER SYSTEM
Source:
The City has two wells. Well #1 is 355 feet deep and was drilled in 1960, and Well #2 is 340 feet deep and was drilled in 1940. The two wells are located approximately 75' from each other.
The City has a regular maintenance program for the wells. Well #1 is currently being cleaned and a new pump and well pipe are being installed. In 1998, the city has budgeted money to clean and televise Well #2.
Distribution:
The City has 11,665' of PVC water main and 17,700' of cast iron water main. The water main range in sizes of 2", 4", 6", or 8". The City is experiencing some problem spots with old water mains. The fire hydrants are in pretty good shape.
Treatment Plant:
Treatment consists of aeration, chlorination, filtration, fluoridation and phosphate addition. The City has implemented a routine maintenance program for the Treatment Plant.
Storage:
The City has one 200,000 gallon elevated storage tower which was constructed in 1985. The inside of the water tower was painted in 1997. Within the next five years the City will need to have the exterior of the tower painted.
The City has incorporated a regular maintenance program needed for the upkeep of its water tower.
SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM
The City of Victor has two separate sewer systems, however, both systems run to one Treatment Plant. The City has a total of 28,750' of sewer main, 22,600' are located in Iowa County and 6,150' are located in Poweshiek County. The City is under a maintenance contract where the sewers are cleaned and televised.
The City has an activated sludge treatment followed by a polishing pond. The lift station for the Poweshiek County sewer system is located at the Treatment Plan. The Treatment Plant capacity is 99,000 gallons per day.
The City is currently operating at near daily plant capacity. The City may need to explore expansion or an alternate treatment process.
STORM SEWER SYSTEM
The City has approximately 10,400 feet of 15-36 inch diameter storm sewer. The City's storm sewers are constructed of clay, steel, plastic, or concrete. (Attached is a map showing location of existing storm sewer system).
STREETS
The overall street system in Victor is in good to excellent condition. There are currently 7.5 miles of streets in the City, 90% are concrete and 10% are concrete with an asphalt overcoat.
The City has an annual maintenance program of weed control spraying in the exposed concrete joints. The City patches the asphalt overlay and sealcoats the downtown area alleys. The City completed paving projects in 1980, 1985, and 1992, in which concrete roads were replaced. Curb and gutter was installed in 1961.
Fifty percent of the asphalt overlay streets are in good condition and 50% need patching and resurfacing. In 1995, approximately 20,000 L.F. of crack sawing and crack sealing was completed on the stress cracks. In 1997, 700 feet of Third Street was replaced, widened from 18 to 28 feet, and drain tile was installed with storm sewer inlets. This project was done to accommodate the two-way traffic in this area, including large vehicles.
The City will upgrade and maintain the streets to provide safe, reliable transportation routes within the City.
II. PUBLIC SERVICES.
Police Department: There is one full-time Police Officer who also served as Police Chief. The City employs reserve officers as needed. Emergency communication services are contracted with the Iowa County Sheriff's Office. Both Iowa and Poweshiek County jails are used as needed.
Fire Department: The Victor Area Fire Department is manned by 25 volunteers. The City and five area townships contract for fire protection in the rural areas. The Fire Department has adequate equipment and vehicles for fire fighting which are all fully certified.
Medical Services: There is a full-time doctor in Victor. Dental services are available 2-3 days per week. The dentists have offices in several area communities including Victor. Area residents can utilize the services of several area hospitals including: Marengo Memorial Hospital (14 miles); Grinnell Regional Medical Center (25 miles); Iowa City (45 miles); Cedar Rapids (45 miles); and Des Moines (75 miles).
Recreation: Victor has a city park with a shelter house, restroom, playground equipment, and a grassy area for games. The Brooklyn-Victor Country Club, located about five miles west of Victory, provides golf and swimming facilities. HLV Community School is headquartered in Victor. The school's recreational facilities are available for public use including: the football field; baseball field; softball field; little league field; tennis courts; and the gymnasium. Victor has a recreation program for grade school age children. Victor participates in the area soccer program with the games currently played in Amana. The soccer program is available to children in Amana, Marengo, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Norway, Ladora, Hartwick, and Victor.
The City has opened a new public library building. The library is open four days per week, is state certified and employs a certified librarian. The Victor Public Library has two computers available to the public with connection to Internet. Additionally, the library owns a 160-acre farm free of debts, which provides additional annual funding.
Public Transportation: Eastern Iowa Regional Airport (Cedar Rapids) is located within 40 miles of Victor and the Des Moines International Airport is located with 75 miles of Victor.
Telephone Service: The communities of Victor, Ladora, Hartwick and Guernsey, together with the rural area, is served by Cooperative Telephone Company and has the unique feature of paying back patronage dividends promptly. All such dividends have been paid up to the last five years and 20% of each year is paid the following year, resulting in only 80% of the past five years being the only unpaid patronage dividends. The dividends equal a substantial part of the telephone bill, running from 32% up to 53% and averaging about 40 to 45%. As a result, telephone service in the community costs only about 55 to 60% of the actual bill. Additionally, there is extended area service (free of toll) to each adjoining town except one and that is in the process of having such service. This greatly expands the service of the telephone. For example, a resident of Victor can call Hartwick, Brooklyn, Guernsey and Ladora, all without long distance. It would be difficult to find better service at the cost of telephone service in this community.
Other Public Services:
The HLV Community School District includes a 126 square mile area that is located in Iowa and Poweshiek Counties.
The school district is a K-12 certified district with an average enrollment of approximately 480 students. The school district also serves preschool students in a preschool program that is operated under Department of Education guidelines.
The HLV District is also one of 257 school districts in Iowa that has an instructional support levy. The income surtax portion of the instruction support levy is 5% in the HLV district. This is below the average income surtax rate for instructional support levies in Iowa which is approximately 11.38%.
The HLV District offers a quality instruction program. The school district has approximately 90 networked computers available for student use all of which have Internet access. The district also has an ICN classroom and a second video classroom that is operable using either ICN or TI.
A new project being undertaken by students is building a house. The work on the home is being completed by the Industrial Tech students, the interior decorating being finished by the Family & Consumer Science Department. Students in the marketing program will assist in the sale of the property.
The HLV District is governed by a five person Board of Directors. The school district employs approximately 38 professional staff members with a total staff size of approximately 60 people. The HLV District is interested in future development within the school and within the community.
Area Organizations:
Lions Club Chamber of Commerce Industrial Development Association HLV School Organizations Volunteer Fire Department Congregate Meal Site American Legion and Auxiliary Brooklyn-Victor Country Club 4-H Izaak Walton League Boy Scouts Girl Scouts Friendly Neighbor Club
Victor Area Businesses:
Beagle Construction Orville W. Bloethe, Attorney-At-Law Carnforth Inn Classic Cuts Cooperative Telephone Company Coufal Car Care Crow Plumbing & Heating D & R Feed, Inc. Dan's Repair Doud Repair Mith & Cunn Family Dentistry Farmer Nicks Farmers Savings Bank Flower Connections Glasgow Photography Gorsh & Sons Roofing Dave Grup Construction Dick Hansen Construction Harden Brothers Propane, Inc. Kevin Healy Painting Heitmann Insurance Services, Inc. HLV School Iburg's Iowa Erosion Control, Inc. Jack's FS Tire & Repair Jeff's Welding K & A Livestock Kat Wood Korner Kinze's West Koehn Motor Company M & N Grain, Inc. Manatt's, Inc. McConnell - Park & Gwin Insurance Mel's Standard Service Neimeyer Electric Park Martens & Stiefel, Attorneys-At-Law Pawlak's, Inc. Pronto Rohrer Brothers, Inc. S-I-P Lumber Yard Seaton's Jack & Jill Grocery Sister's Greenhouse Smith Funeral Home Stop-N-Sip Tap The Hub Restaurant The Shoppe Hair Designers TL Fabrications LTD. Van Nevel Coatings & Construction Victor Appliance Victor Locker Victor Manufacturing Victor Medical Clinic Victor Oil Company Victor Plastics, Inc. Victor Printers, Inc. Victor State Bank Victor Veterinary Association Village Pharmacy B.J. Westerdale Trucking Whitworth Hardware Williams' Woodshop
III. HOUSING.
The Victor area is experiencing a serious housing shortage. This housing shortage has been caused by economic growth and a lack of housing development in the area. Since economic development efforts began in 1979, only a small number of new homes have been constructed. As a result, adequate housing does not exist for workers employed in the Victor area.
The existing housing stock basically is in sound condition. Conservation of the existing housing stock is important because of the lack of new housing development. A housing rehabilitation program would be beneficial to the homes needed some minor or moderate rehabilitation.
In a May 1997 Housing Needs Assessment Study, it was determined that to meet current and future housing needs, 62 new owner-occupied and 35 new rental properties will be needed in Victor.
Victor Manufacturing is planning a major expansion to begin in the Spring of 1998 and completed in the Fall of 1999. This proposed expansion will create approximately 75-100 new jobs.
The economic growth has not translated into new housing starts. The economic development that has taken place has only amplified the housing shortage that currently exists in the Victor area. This housing shortage could adversely effect the Victor area in its ability to be considered for further economic development possibilities. In order to be prepared for further growth, the community must address the housing shortage issue so that new employees will have a place to live as well as a place to work.
The City is currently considering the annexation of a 20-acre plot of land that would be the major area used for new housing development. The plan for the development is that approximately 7-8 homes would be constructed every year.
IV. FINANCIAL CONDITION.
Water, sewer, and garbage rates are set at appropriate levels. Customers are billed monthly. No taxes are levied to support these operations.
Taxable valuations of the City of Victor for the past four years are as follows:
Year Taxable Valuations 1996 $16,871,084 1995 $16,749,615 1994 $16,188,967 1993 $13,952,831
The City currently has $265,000 in long-term debt. A special assessment from the 1992 paving project is $40,000 and $225,000 in G.O. obligations.
City receipts and disbursements for the past four years are as follows:
Receipts Disbursements
1996-1997 $ 588,355 $532,417
1995-1996 609,848 513,552
1994-1995 582,97 574,926
1993-1994 493,040 485,939
Utilities:
Gas and Electric - Iowa Electric
Telephone and Internet - Victor Cooperative Telephone Company
Cable Television - Inter-County Cable TV
The Victor area has experienced significant economic growth since the late 1970's. Three factories have developed between the south edge of Victor and Interstate 80 since 1979. These factories are: Victor Manufacturing, Inc.; Victor Plastics; and Kinze West (formerly TL Fabrications). These three factories employ a total of approximately 300 persons at the current time.
Victor Manufacturing, Inc., is currently undertaking a major expansion that will be located in the City of Victor. This expansion will be a 76,000 square foot addition to the current Victor manufacturing plant at a total investment exceeding $10,000,000. The planned expansion will add an extra 75-100 jobs in the Victor area at an average salary of approximately $12.00 per hour.
Victor Community Development Association (VCDA): This group is the loosely organized industrial development organization. The group consists of area business persons and meets as necessary to assist interested businesses, either existing businesses or new businesses wishing to locate in the Victor area. The VCDA has been instrumental during the past 15 years helping Victor Manufacturing and Victor Plastics locate in the Victor area.
After evaluating the recommendations in this Strategic Plan, the City has prioritized a list which will serve as stepping stones to a brighter future for Victor. The City realizes that to be successful in reaching its goals, individuals and organizations must continually review and update these objectives on a regular basis to make sure they are consistent with the needs of the community.
These are the Action Steps for the City of Victor:
1. Continue routine maintenance programs for Treatment Plant and Water Tower.
2. Have the exterior of Water Tower painted.
3. Research funding sources available to assist with the expansion of the existing sewer treatment expansion or implementing an alternative treatment process.
4. Continue annual maintenance program of patching and weed control.
5. Resurface Third Street from Lincoln Street to County Line Road.
6. Replace Third Street with 10" Portland Concrete.
7. Sealcoat the alley extending from Main Street to Washington Street.
8. Repair and replace sidewalks and entrance ramps throughout the City.
9. Implement a 5-year maintenance program where approximately 10,000 L.F. per year of existing joints are crack sawed and sealed.
10.Investigate possible options to construct additional owner-occupied and rental housing.
11.Implement recommendations made in the 1997 Housing Needs Assessment Study.
12.Research the availability of funding assistance available to help implement the housing rehabilitation programs.
13.Continue to set aside funds, as necessary, for future projects.
14.Aggressively promote industrial development by utilizing the efforts of the citizens of the community.
15.Clean and Televise Well #2.