By Scott Swanson
Of The New Era/Lebanon Local
Sweet Home’s first city dog park is open, at Northside Park.
The park, located at 1780 11th Ave., has been in the works for a while, city Community and Economic Development Director Blair Larsen said.
“This has been something the Park and Tree Committee has been talking about for the last year,” he said, adding that a couple of local donors have specifically earmarked their contributions for “dog parks.”
The approximately one-acre fenced area is on the east side of the park, which doesn’t get much use except by campers during the Oregon Jamboree.
“Northside Park was seen as one of the ideal spots,” Larsen said.
Another dog park, to be located next to City Hall, at 3225 Main St., is also in planning stages, he said. Local county dog parks are also located at Sunnyside Park and Waterloo Park.
The Northside facility is currently just a fenced area, but the city plans to install a water fountain for dogs and adding sidewalk and parking improvements.
“There’s more work that needs to be done,” Larsen said. “Fencing is the easy part. We just wanted to get a quick win in there and this was seen as an easier project to do.”
The city Park and Tree Committee is made up of Chairman Lance Shreves, Nancy Patton, Lena Tucker, Bob Dalton and Debra Northern, and City Council member Dave Trask. It has two vacant positions. For information on participating, call (541) 367-8969.