Parks, Trails & Recreation Master Plan

Within the current Memorial Park, the east shelter, playground, and volleyball court are not only sparingly used, but need to be replaced. Being located on top of culturally significant land, it makes sense to remove these amenities from their current locations and replace them elsewhere or concentrate uses if they are doubled up. The west picnic shelter is more modernized and can host all rentals at the Park. The playground will be replaced with a nature playground near the west picnic shelter, which better fits the overall aesthetic and theme of the very natural Memorial Park and its setting. Lions Park now features two new sand volleyball courts, and will serve volleyball players with better surrounding amenities much better than the old one at Memorial Park has. There are currently some bituminous trails that navigate between the extant burial mounds within the park. These trails are not respectful of the burial grounds they divide and trail users often leave the trail and climb the burial mounds, threatening damage and further destruction. It is recommended that these trails be closed, as the trail from the central trail head kiosk that then moves east to follow the property line at The Landing is an efficient means of travel for trail users already. This move respects the burial grounds and reduces any further destruction to these sacred mounds. The flag pole and cobra helicopter have a more recent history with Memorial Park, and the flag pole has already been relocated in recent decades (see “using archaeologically identified cultural resources as directors of concept plan” on page 209 for more information). The proposed conflict/war memorial at Huber Park will be a greatly improved homage to all from Shakopee who have served in conflicts throughout the history of the United States. But, the helicopter and the flag pole have a special place in the City’s heart and would be an exciting attraction to add to the nearby Quarry Lake Park, which currently doesn’t have a flag pole. The helicopter at Quarry Lake Park would provide an additional attraction to draw people to that park, and there is ample open space to host groups for events related to the helicopter than there is at Memorial Park now. Other park amenities to consider are more functional and passive; improving seating along the edge of the pond near the spillway would better encourage park users to stop, relax, and reflect on the beauty of the wooded pond and birds while enjoying a conversation or lunch. Improved signage at both the main park entrance and at the west entrance of The Landing would better identify the place as a historic cultural district. The

park should retain the restroom facility, but this building desperately needs improvements if it is to keep functioning to serve the community and park users. The spillway between Faribault Springs and the pond is currently in need of replacement, and it is proposed here to naturalize this spillway with a more aesthetic and natural stone material while rebuilding the crumbling path system around it. Embracing the oak savanna landscape and doing further restorative work to transition the majority of the turf areas to a more native landscape would put less strain on the park system for maintenance and further help to protect the cultural resources in the area. Finally, bringing a special piece of visual heritage and artwork from the Native American community would be a beacon of identity for the park; a unique piece of art that has a relationship to and represents the pre- and post-European history here. A vertical tipi or lodge pole element is being explored by the SMSC, and would anchor the east side of the park where it would be visible from Hwy 101. Across the highway, many park users overlook the opportunity to cross below the 101 bridge at the springs and visit the Pond’s Mission foundation. Pathways of Shakopee signs line this path and tell a rich story of Shakopee’s past. To encourage more park and trail users to visit this side of the park, it is recommended that the City re-create a simple frame of the original mission house structure on top of the historic foundation that nods to the historic form of the site and enlivens the currently forgotten foundation. As one travels down 101 toward Downtown, they will pass through a gateway of an iconic historic reconstruction, an iconic tipi, and welcoming signage introducing visitors to this historic area.

CURRENT CITY SIGNAGE AT HWY 101 BRIDGE NEAR MEMORIAL PARK.

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