Shakopee City Council Supports Women's Prison Fence Funding

Another milestone was reached Wednesday in the Minnesota Department of Corrections quest for in Shakopee.

After little discussion during their regular meeting, the Shakopee City Council voted to support funding for a fence, with the exception of councilor Matt Lehman, who abstained from the vote in order to remain neutral about the overall project.

“It seems to me if you’re supportive of funding, you’re supportive of the project,” he said.

City Administrator Mark McNeill said supporting the funding of a barrier was OK for the councilors to do but that they must remain neutral if a fence construction proposal comes before them.

To that end, their letter of support acknowledges that construction specifics are not yet known and that the city reserves its right to regulate aspects of construction from fence height to location to appearance.

Gov. Mark Dayton has included $5.4 million in his bonding proposal for the fence, but it still has to pass through the legislature before prison officials can proceed. Officials have said that a lack of support from the city in years past may have contributed to a lack of support for the project in the legislature.

"We’re pleased to have the council’s support ... for the proposed fence around Shakopee Correctional Facility," Prison Warden Tracey Beltz said in an email after the meeting.

The issue of a fence at the prison, which is located in the midst of a residential neighborhood at 1010 West Sixth Avenue, has been a controversial one with some neighbors concerned that a fence would create the perception of a dangerous facility and hurt property values. Currently, there is only a hedge around the perimeter.

One local legislator, , R-Jordan, has said she will work this session to keep the fence included in the proposed bonding bill. , R-Shakopee, has said he plans to make sure any approved fence fits in with the neighborhood.