Shakopee Valley News - Shakopee - Comments

You're right. Writers are

Kristin Holtz — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:43:00 -0600

You're right. Writers are independent contractors and readers can apply to be a writer for the Web site. The author of this post is a journalist, according to his bio. He also states that "His cultural criticisms often lack evidence but his handsome looks are second to none," which tells me he has a sense of humor.

I thought the post was most interesting because it really leaned heavily to the western suburbs. I've heard this criticism before. Why does the west have such a bad rap?

Hired or not, that's HIS

Pat Minelli — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:36:23 -0600

Hired or not, that's HIS opinion. Shakopee population went from about 11,000 in the mid-1980s to nearly 35,000 today for good reason.

You should update your

Phil Borchardt — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:12:22 -0600

You should update your article. Examiner.com is NOT reader-generated content about metro communities. Examiner.com hires local writers to add content to their site. Any old reader cannot go to the site and write articles.

If you stay within Marshall

PAT T LAND — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:43:05 -0600

If you stay within Marshall rd and Shakopee ave. to the river, Shakopee is still a nice town. Beware dont even look past this boundary. Its like a third world waiting to gulp you up! Ive been told they even have a coffee shop that charges $3.50 a cup Cary-Boo or sometin like that.

The last time I lived in

kidjon — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:36:50 -0600

The last time I lived in Shakopee was in 1984 when I graduated Shakopee High School and went off to the Army. I always said that Shakopee would be a great place to raise my kids. After the Army, I moved to a town in western Washington that reminded me of growing up in Shakopee. I have visited Shakopee several times since 1984, and other than my high school buddies, Shakopee is not the same town I grew up in. Even the church(it used to be Shakopee Baptist near Juba's SuperValu and the mall) I grew up in isn't the same.

I think the turning point was the gambling business that exploded in the 80's and 90's. It use to be a farming community. But not anymore. I guess you can't go home.

Well said, Shannon. Shakopee

Pat Minelli — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:23:38 -0600

Well said, Shannon. Shakopee has a wonderful reputation, which is why it has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the Midwest.

I don't put much stock into comments by any old somebodies.

While I have to agree about

sfiecke — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:01:32 -0600

While I have to agree about Shakopee's atrocious rows of bland-colored townhomes and the loss of some of its small-town feel, Shakopee is still ways ahead of most suburbs.

I wouldn't have taken a job here if this was just another Maple Grove or Woodbury. We have a gorgeous downtown and river, great historical houses, a large industrial park with a variety of businesses and great entertainment venues like Murphy's Landing, Valleyfair, Raceway Park and Canterbury Park. We still have some farmland and it's easy to get away into the countryside.

If you choose to get involved at all, you will find Shakopee still has a small-town community where people know each other and have a stake in their town. Although newer neighborhoods south of 169 may feel more like a bedroom community, you'll find that more and more newcomers are becoming integrated here.

Test

JanetHope — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:37:01 -0600

Test

As far back as I can

PAT T LAND — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:33:11 -0500

As far back as I can remember the original prison was on the north side. The south side were the new prison sits was owned by the state and was used for there Garden/agriculture program. this was for a time shared by the boy scout stockade which was east of the new prison in the state barn. the houses east and west of the new location were already built. Sweeny school was Built before the new prison on land not owned by the state

I agree with Robert. The

chefemby — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:04:40 -0500

I agree with Robert. The prison was there first. And not that this justifies a school being across from a prison, but I think the state either donated the land that Sweeney is on or offered them an unbeatable price for the land (please someone correct me if I'm wrong).
I do wish I would have seen the Comedy Central bit though - sounds like it was pretty funny.

Good insight Chuck... your

goldengopher — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:17:20 -0500

Good insight Chuck... your perspective adds a lot of light to the situation.

Did anyone see the comedy central bit a year or two ago where they came and did a story on our prison without a fence? It really made the mayor and the city look foolish. It was all in good fun though. I laughed out loud when the comedy central reporter asked the mayor what was surrounding the prison - and the mayor replied, "I think a bush". So of course the reporter had to test the effectiveness of the bush as a barrier and walked through the bush and yelled, "ouch! I got a pricker!"

Anyone see that?

The prison has existed for

chuck.berg — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:39:54 -0500

The prison has existed for about 80 years, with the current location now open over 20 years. There is one big change though. The population used to be primarily made up of mostly minimum security inmates with a population of about 100. With the fast growth in women offenders, the Shakopee prison is now used for many more violent offenders with a population of almost 500.

To use the previous analogy, this would be like building your home near a small creek and then having the government dam that creek downstream so that you now live next to a surging river.

Robert ~ I love your

Ineedavacation — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:45:00 -0500

Robert ~ I love your comments ! ! And I must say I agree. It's very typical with todays society where people believe the world revolves around them and must change to accomodate them. This is why we see children in trouble on the news so frequently ... what a terrible shame the world is becoming.

It reminds me of the story where a person that bought a cup of steaming hot coffee from McDonalds and then spilled the steaming cup of hot coffee on themself and THEN SUED MCDONALDS because they burned themself with the hot coffee.
Unbelievable ! !

Correction.....The Shakopee

PAT T LAND — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:33:09 -0500

Correction.....The Shakopee womens prison has always been a MAX facility. It is thee only womens facility in the state......St Cloud, Lino Lakes, Stillwater ect are all mens. As far back as 1950s it has kept both minimum and max inmates in different Dorms on this site and the old site

Let me see if I understand

Robert Thibodeaux — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:30:40 -0500

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

A prison is built.
People then build houses & schools near prison.
People buy these houses near then prison.
Then complain that there is a prison next to there house?

Hmmm - Here is my simple solution -
If you don't want to live next to a Prison,
Don't buy a house next to a Prison.

I could understand if the state came along a built a Prison in a neighborhood, but people instead built a house next a prison.

The is similar to the people who live in a flood plane, next to a river then complain that the state needs to do something to stop the flooding.