Shakopee Snapshot: Summer 2025

Roads, riverbanks, and redevelopment How grant funding shapes Shakopee

Grant funding plays a vital role in helping the City of Shakopee deliver improvements and launch new initiatives for our community—all without increasing tax rates for residents. The City actively applies for grants from a wide variety of sources, including state and federal agencies, foundations, nonprofits, and legislative appropriations distributed through bonding and earmarks. While grant funds are sometimes thought of as “free money,” they come with contracts and guidelines that outline how the funds must be used. In many cases, the funder also requires the City to contribute matching funds or cover a portion of the total project cost, demon strating the City’s long-term commitment to the project’s success. Grants are used across all City departments. For example: ■ The Police Department receives public safety funding from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to cover officer overtime for DWI patrols. ■ Public Works uses a grant to help keep Clean Up Day affordable for residents. ■ The Administration Department secured a U.S. Department of Energy grant to upgrade municipal building lighting to LED technology, at no cost to the City. ■ Parks and Recreation obtained funding for gardening equipment and to build the new Community Center patio. ■ The Fire Department benefits from FEMA grants that fund training, equipment, and supplemental wages. Currently, the City manages more than 35 active grants totaling nearly $24 million. While every department utilizes grant funding, the Engi neering and Planning and Development departments manage the majority of the City’s active grants. Many of these grants focus on parks and trails, requiring collaboration between the two departments. ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT The Engineering Department is constantly working to ensure that Shakopee’s infrastructure remains safe and well-maintained. The upcoming Marystown Road Corridor Improvements project has received state and federal support through the Minnesota Depart ment of Transportation (MnDOT) and the Metropolitan Council. The project will add roundabouts along Marystown Road and Adams Street to improve traffic flow and safety at key intersections. The City has also received funding for road safety studies and design improvements in areas such as 10th Avenue, U.S. Highway 169, and the neighborhoods around local schools. A significant portion of the U.S. Highway 169 Pedestrian Bridge project—which reconnected parts of Shakopee divided by the highway—was funded by MnDOT. Beyond roadways, the Engineering Department plays a broader role in quality-of-life improvements, such as overseeing water quality initia tives and monitoring trees for invasive pests. A grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is currently funding the removal of ash trees infested with emerald ash borer and the planting of replace ments. The Department also evaluates how stormwater interacts with the City’s infrastructure and recently received a grant from the Minne sota Pollution Control Agency to develop an updated stormwater model. Engineering regularly applies for grants through the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources to support water and soil quality projects. This funding helped construct the public parking lot at 2nd Avenue and Lewis Street, which now features an underground filtration sys tem to clean stormwater before it reaches the Minnesota River. These grants also funded a weather station and large brine tanks that allow staff to monitor weather conditions and apply precise saltwater

169 Bridge Grand Opening: A significant portion of the U.S. Highway 169 pedestrian bridge construction was funded by MnDOT.

Clean Up Day Spring 2025: Scott County Commissioner Jody Brennan (left) and Shakopee City Councilor Angelica Contreras help out at Shakopee Clean Up Day, which is funded in part by a grant.

Patio and Tables: The new patio at the Shakopee Community Center was funded by a grant.

Phase 1 Downtown Water Quality: Funding from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources helped pay for an underground stormwater filtration system under the parking lot at Second Avenue and Lewis Street.

6 Shakopee Snapshot