The residents asked, and the residents received.
Early Wednesday morning, dozens turned out for the official leash-cutting of the city’s newest park. Sitting on just shy of an acre, the new dog park at Veterans’ Memorial Park is now open to pooches of all sizes.
Mayor Joe Hardy praised the efforts of Urban Jungle as well as city staff, specifically City Manager Taylour Tedder, as well as Councilwoman Sherri Jorgensen, for seeing this project to fruition.
“The grass is critical for paws and so if we pause to think about our dogs’ paws, then we’ll be able to say, ‘Hallelujah, we did something good for them.’ Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Hardy said, eliciting a laugh from the crowd.
Last year, City Council approved more than $70,000 in funding from the American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA) to be used toward the park
“The finished product is beautiful,” Parks and Recreation Director Roger Hall said earlier this week. “There is plenty of green grass for the dogs to run, shade for the animals and people under the trees, benches, waste stations and water for people and pets. I am very happy with the outcome. The Public Works Department did a great job managing the construction of the dog park.”
Hall said most of the people he’s talked to think it is a beautiful addition to the park system.
“They like the fact that it has grass, which is easier on the dogs’ paws, especially during the hot weather. Shade is also a very important factor and the design incorporates natural shade from the trees in both sections of the park.”
When Veterans’ Park was first built, Hall said See Spot Run approached the City to construct and run a dog park on city property. They have been very successful over the years, he said, and offer a great product for residents and dogs within the community.
“The city had been receiving inquiries from residents regarding the construction of a grassed dog park in Boulder City and we started looking for possible locations,” Hall said. “The city put out a survey to our residents which was posted online from June 14 to Aug. 14 of last year and 70% of respondents supported the location at Veterans’ Memorial Park with the No. 1 requested amenity, a location with grass.”
See Spot Run, which is funded by donations and run by volunteers, will continue to operate and receive ARPA funds from the city to help do so.
The new dog park will be open to the public seven days a week from dawn to dusk. It will be closed for maintenance from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays. There are two separate areas for small and large dogs. Rules for use are posted by the entryway for both areas and residents will be required to pick up their dog’s waste immediately and obey all of the dog park rules, Hall said.
Thomas Memmer, who along with his dog Lombardi, was one of many dog owners at the leash cutting, said he liked what he saw.
“Boulder City was the only municipality in Southern Nevada that did not have a city-maintained dog park,” he said. “Now we do. I want to thank Mayor Hardy and council for making this need in our community a reality.”