By Linda McNulty

The fourth Thursday Victoria page is my regular gig here at The Chanhassen Villager.

I missed my last deadline. Flat out forgot it. That is a sign of my times. The nice folks at the newspaper said I could put my column in the second Thursday of the month Victoria pages, which as it turns out, will come out on my birthday. One more year over and done, with a couple more wrinkles to show for it. Tonight I happened upon the reliable Rick Levine horoscope for today, and was tickled by what it said.

Sagittarius Horoscope   (Nov 22 - Dec 21)You can be a motivational speaker who uplifts sad friends and encourages tired colleagues. Don't worry about the details now—that isn't your forte. You are here to paint a rosy picture of what's possible in the future, rather than dealing with the practical matters of today. Being a visionary is a job that suits you especially well.

I know I am a visionary. Actually, I am a detail person, too, but for this exercise I envision the following.

I see mobility. The City of Victoria with a vibrant, if elongated, downtown; half that is already in place, and half that can be developed as an extension,  including a grocery store, pharmacy, dry cleaners, restaurants, bakery, medical offices, and affordable senior housing — everything in walking distance of the other.

I see expediency. Why not replace the current too small city hall, which is actually the old fire barn that became a temporary city hall 30 — yes, 30 years ago - as the footprint for the senior housing, including a library and community meeting rooms. A new city hall will never, ever be less expensive than right now, and it could be built, along with affordable senior housing by the Carver County Development Agency very, very efficiently. The county has experience and can do the job.I see built-in patronage. In my vision, seniors will be the first line of support for the new businesses, as well as the existing.

I see employee stability. Some of these active older adults can be among those hired to work in those new businesses.

I see economy. Residents can make a two-mile round trip to the store, as opposed to a ten-mile round trip.

I see community! In the middle of the retail business district, build a town square, to enable our residents to gather on special days, such as a farmer’s market, or a Saturday bazaar, or a combination thereof.

Imagine a community pulled together by the vision. Old, young, younger. Victoria may be a larger community than 50 years ago, but being intergenerational with a center to the town—that might be a rebirth of the old Victoria. A hint of what used to be, with the flavor of the new. I can truly envision that. Can you? Am I capable of uplifting sad friends and tired colleagues? I hope so. Let’s talk about the vision!

 Linda McNulty is a Victoria resident and a member of the Victoria Senior Commission. Her column appears monthly in the Victoria Town Square pages.  

Dear Readers:

How does Linda McNulty’s vision for a downtown Victoria compare to your vision for Victoria? Similar, dissimilar? Do you have additional ideas or thoughts? Join the discussion !

--Unsie Zuege

Victoria Town Square editor