Fall 2023 Hometown Messenger

Top left and center: Children play on the new playground equipment at Huber Park Top right and bottom: Quarry Lake’s new, unique playground also opened this summer Continued from page 3

Designed with creativity and safety in mind, the playground offers a diverse range of play elements that cater to children of all ages, encouraging them to unleash their imaginations and embrace the spirit of adventure But Huber isn’t the only new playground in town! Quarry Lake Park is now home to its first ever playground Quarry Lake has become a more prominent Shakopee destination in recent years since the opening of the Xcel Energy Mountain Bike Park The addition of the Highway 169 pedestrian bridge will soon connect this park to com munities on the south side of the highway, increasing the need for recreation opportunities

The new Quarry Lake play area is certainly unique, containing struc tures not found in existing Shakopee parks It includes two net swings, a large snake-like climbing structure and a hybrid seesaw-swing mix Similar to the Huber Park process, the city sought feedback from residents about what they wanted to see at the new Quarry Lake playground The responses indicated playground users were thirsty for something uncon ventional, which drove the decisions made during the design process “The community told us they wanted something unique,” Planning Director Michael Kerski said “The playground design chosen by the City Council reflects that, and we hope it becomes a favorite place to play for years to come”

#AsktheCity

NEW ‘REPORT AN ISSUE’ APP

The city has rolled out a new app, MyCivic, so residents can swiftly and easily report issues they may encounter around town To download the app, search for “My Civic 311” in your Android or Apple app stores You will need to search for and choose “City of Shakopee” once on the main page of the app Q: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CITY’S SERVICE REQUEST PORTAL?

Q: WHAT CAN I USE THIS APP FOR? A: Residents can report everything from potholes and road debris to abandoned vehicles and rental property maintenance concerns Once inside the app, you’ll see a list of categories to choose from when submitting your issue Q: DO I HAVE TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT TO USE IT? A: Yes, you do The city does not accept anonymous complaints, and we need to know who we should follow-up with in case city staff has questions or needs clarification Residents who create an account will not be contacted in any way unless it is directly related to their com plaint report

A: Previously, the city used a service request portal on the city web site to track resident’s submitted issues Similar to the app, residents could create an account and submit their concern online This service request portal has been discontinued, with the MyCivic app taking its place Q: WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW? A: The MyCivic app has GPS built into it, so you will be able to place a pin on the map showing where the issue is located This will make issues easier for city staff to locate and resolve

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