King Park Dog Park Celebration scheduled for Saturday, June 25

By Editor | June 21, 2022 |

By DAVID CAMPHOUSE

A celebration of the King Park Dog Park will take place at 9 a.m., Saturday, June 25, at King Park in Pittsfield.

The creation of the dog park is a partnership of the Rotary Club of Pike County, Picture Pittsfield and the City of Pittsfield. The dog park will occupy the space of the former, dilapidated tennis courts at King Park.

The Rotary Club is hosting the June 25 King Park Dog Park celebration, which will feature comments from club president Jessica Guthrie and Pittsfield mayor Gary Mendenhall.

According to Mendenhall, the new dog park will contribute to the neighborhood and Pittsfield as a whole.

“The tennis courts weren’t being used, so having the dog park there will be a vast improvement to the park and what the park has to offer to the community,” Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall also believes that the benefits of the new dog park extend well beyond simply providing an opportunity for outdoor recreation to Pittsfield’s pet owners.

“Obviously the dog park will be a place where local people can take their dogs to run,” Mendenhall said. “But, from an economic standpoint, there are studies that show that travelers often stop in communities that have dog parks. Anytime you can get people to stop off in town from the interstate, there’s usually some money spent somewhere. Anything that helps support local businesses is what we’re all about.”

The June 25 celebration will also feature Picture Pittsfield’s “Picture Your Pup Photo Contest.” The winner of the photo contest will be announced by Picture Pittsfield representatives at the celebration.

Pittsfield Public Library will also participate in the June 25 dog park celebration by organizing a Clifford the Big Red Dog storybook walk around the King Park walking path. Every child in attendance will receive a book, as well as a chance to win a gift basket. The books and costume rental have been funded with a literacy grant awarded to the Rotary Club of Pike County from Rotary District 6460. There will also be a Clifford the Big Red Dog personal appearance that morning.

Families are encouraged to bring their children and well-behaved dogs. Unfortunately, due to weather and scheduling conflicts, the dog park construction was started later than expected and will not open for six to eight weeks.

According to Guthrie, the planning and costs of the new dog park have been shared by the City of Pittsfield, Rotary, and Picture Pittsfield.

The City of Pittsfield was responsible for removing the old tennis courts/fencing and installing utilities for dog watering stations and lights. The city also hauled necessary topsoil from Pittsfield Lake to fill in for the grass seed.

The Rotary Club took on the responsibility of raising the funds needed to get new fencing and gates. Funds were raised through a $2,750 grant from our Rotary District, District 6460, a few recent fundraisers, such as October’s Howl-o-ween Howl Fun Walk, as well as funds saved from previous years.

Picture Pittsfield has pledged roughly $4,000 for the new seed and labor to get it planted. They also sponsored the Picture Your Pup Photo Contest to raise awareness for the dog park.

The project in this first phase, not including the city’s labor and resources, has cost about $18,000, with Mid USA Landscaping completing the contracted fence and seed work. Future phases, once funds are raised, include signage, shade trees, waste stations, dog watering stations and park benches, Guthrie said.

For additional information, contact Rotary Club President Jessica Guthrie at (949) 412-6184 or [email protected].