2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan

Southbridge Park Vegetation Management 2026 thru 2030 Project Details Shakopee, MN Project # Project Name

PA-26-06

Southbridge Park Vegetation Management

Total Project Cost

$675,000

Contact

City Engineer Improvement 3 - Want to do

Department

Park Asset Internal Serv. Fund

Type

Category

Park Improvements

Priority

Status

Active

Useful Life

50 years

Description Southbridge Park is a 40-acre area that includes paved and gravel trails, an outdoor ice rink, and a large dog park. There are roughly 25 acres of wooded area dominated by oak species, mainly of the red oak group. Other native species present include black cherry, hackberry, cottonwood, and cedar. The hackberries and cottonwoods are found in the lower, wetter areas of the park and bordering the wetland. The cherries and cedars are scattered throughout. This park has also been invaded by common buckthorn and nonnative honeysuckle. Buckthorn and honeysuckle are woody invasives that form dense stands that can completely alter the understory composition of a forest, overtaking the native vegetation. This reduces habitat for wildlife and can contribute to reduced soil stabilization. Additionally, the oaks in this park are being devastated by oak wilt. Oak wilt is a fungal disease that infects oak trees’ cellular vessels, reducing the uptake of water by the infected tree. If no action is taken to restore this area, the current stand of oak trees will continue to die and be cut down with nothing replacing them. This would open the canopy, resulting in a loss of the woodland landscape. The goals for this project are to mitigate the impacts of tree loss due to oak wilt and provide a high quality, usable natural area to residents. This will be done through removal of the dead and dying oak trees, removal of woody invasives, planting native grasses and reforestation. Justification Shakopee does not have many other large, wooded parks with extensive trail access similar to Southbridge. Additionally, if no management is done, buckthorn and honeysuckle will continue to invade the park. This would create usability issues in the dog park in addition to negatively impacting the ecology and aesthetics of the park as a whole. The continued loss of oaks and presence of invasive vegetation will reduce the quality of the public amenity.

The project is subject to securing grant funding for the improvements. The City submitted one grant application in 2025 for this project:

DNR CPL grant application in 2025 for the buckthorn removal and seeding ($260,446.67 total request, including a $26,044.67 match from Park Asset Fund)

Expenditures

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

Total

675,000 675,000

Construction/Maintenance

150,000 150,000

275,000 275,000

250,000 250,000

0 0

0 0

Total

Funding Sources

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

Total

440,000 235,000 675,000

Park Asset Internal Service Fund

0

190,000

250,000

0 0 0

0 0 0

Grants

150,000 150,000

85,000

0

Total

275,000

250,000

145

Produced Using Plan-It CIP Software