By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The popularity of Grand Rapids’ only public off-leash dog park is evident on summer evenings when dozens of dogs greet each other amid swiftly wagging tails, soaring Frisbees, and human chatter from their people.
On April 3, 25 human users of the Pet Supplies Plus Dog Park gathered with Fulton Heights Neighborhood representatives, parks and recreation staff, and commissioner Rosalynn Bliss to draw up a wish list of sorts for improvements at the park.
Two fenced areas—one for small dogs, one for large dogs—keep the pets safe as they run about leash-free. But in winter months when the sun sets early dog owners say an after-work romp is a bit spooky.
"They want some safety lighting," says Tom Zelinski, parks superintendent. "The cost would be about $11,000 and we don’t have funds. But several people stepped up and said they'll look into fundraising."
Other suggestions include park benches inside the fenced areas, a rain shelter for people, and signage and bulletin boards inside the fenced areas where the people can read them while monitoring their dogs. Zelinski said volunteers offered to monitor the park and provide users with gentle reminders of the rules, for instance, cleaning up after your dog.
"The park has very little grass because it’s shady and gets so much use," Zelinski says. "The Parks and Recreation department will bring in some shredded bark on April 26 and volunteers can bring rakes and gloves and help us spread the bark.
"Our next step is to get some subcommittees together and get donations and funds to make the changes happen," Zelinski says.
Source: Tom Zelinski, City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department
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Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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