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Fur-loving friends pitch in |
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Monday, 09 June 2008 |
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 Staff photo/B.J. Bethel
Sarah Hipp of the Celina Animal Hospital takes a break from working at the new Celina dog park on West Bank Road near Grand Lake St. Marys. Hipp is a member of the Furr-ever Friends volunteer group that is helping man the park and prepare for its opening. Plans are in the works for a second dog park in St. Marys following the construction of the Celina dog park. By B.J. BETHEL
Assistant Managing Editor
CELINA — Volunteers from the west side of Grand Lake St. Marys gathered to give a hand moving debris from the site of a new dog park.
The land, which was cleared by a bulldozer, still needed debris removed from the ground before further work could be done. That’s where Furr-ever Friends, the park’s local volunteer group, chipped in Saturday morning.
“There are trees that need to be cleared, small rocks and wood that needs to be cleared,” volunteer Deb Borns said. “We are also registering volunteers for the long-term.”
Gathering volunteers for the new park is critical for its operation. Borns signed up volunteers at the park site Saturday.
With the state cutting back on its budget, there will not be much help from Grand Lake St. Marys State Park in maintaining the dog park.
“It’s critical because the state can mow it and that’s it,” Borns said. “We’re going to have to raise about $10,000 for seed and other improvements. We are fortunate to have this ground available to us.”
Money for the park’s fence was donated from the Celina Rotary Club.
Borns said the group is hoping to plant grass for the park by October but it could be delayed until next spring. The park is four acres and will cost $2,000 per acre for grass.
The volunteer group also is constructing a Web site for the park at www.grandlakedogpark.com. The park will be named Celina Rotary Dog Park at West Bank.
Borns stressed that volunteer help for the project was critical for it to succeed.
“This is going to be a baptism by fire,” Borns said. “We’ll have more volunteer days, but this is the major one to get us started. If people can’t attend, people can help support it financially or do both.”
Borns said there is a certain protocol the group must follow in running the park. The state already has rules for dog parks on its property.
“There are actual state statutes that govern dog parks,” Borns said. “It is a state park, so you have to follow the state rules for the dog park. We can’t impose any more rules or eliminate any of them. There will be people out here who will encourage appropriate behavior if people aren’t behaving themselves.”
Once the west side park is established, plans are to proceed with a similar park on the east side near St. Marys. Plans for that park are to include a dog beach that allows local pooches to go for a swim.
“Ideally, it would be to find an area where we could have a dog beach,” Borns said. “This one won’t have it because it’s not really conducive, but ideally it will be where the dogs can swim.” |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 June 2008 )
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