Long-awaited Shiawassee Connection Project gets big boost from federal funds

FARMINGTON — When the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill Dec. 23 to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2023, one of the big winners was the city of Farmington.

The spending package includes $16.4 million for U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens’ 15 community funding projects.

Of that money, Farmington is set to receive $2.1 million for the Shiawassee Connection Project, which will connect the downtown with Shiawassee Park.

The project includes the removal and replacement of existing stairs and a bridge at Shiawassee Park with a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant boardwalk and bridge.

“We just received word recently from Haley Stevens’ office that we were awarded this $2.1 million allocation to support that connection,” said Farmington Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Kate Knight. “We’ve been imagining it for a long time. … Receiving this award in federal funding is a result of years of master planning and community visioning.”