Board approves funds for first dog park

The Village Board has approved spending up to $12,000 in developer fees for a fence to surround the perimeter of the village’s first official dog park.

The 12.5-acre park, approved last month on a unanimous vote, will be established on the east side, south of Jaycee Park, where dog owners have walked their pets for years. The park will be bordered on the north by the Oregon branch of the Badfish Creek, on the east by U.S. Hwy. 14, on the south by Park Street and on the west where North Perry Parkway will eventually be extended to connect with South Perry Parkway.

Village administrator Mike Gracz said no tax dollars would be used. Funding for the fence will come from fees that developers pay as part of their project agreements.

The Park Board has yet to come up with rules and guidelines for park users. Park Board chair Jon Blanchard told the Observer in December that there may be a small permit fee for using the park. He also said the park would be double-gated to allow village mowers to enter the site without allowing dogs to escape.

He said if North Perry Parkway is extended, the village might consider building a parking lot for the dog park, but until then, parking would probably be limited to the north side of Park Street.
“That would prevent people from crossing the street with their dogs,” he said.

Blanchard added that the park would be ready and open sometime this year.

Dog owners have and will continue to walk dogs off leash in an open-space area north of Badfish Creek near the sledding hill, but the park itself will be south of the creek.