Siloam Springs residents could have a new place to play with their canine friends as early as next April.
A public comment session, attended by 20 people, was held on Thursday at City Hall to discuss the proposed dog park.
The display at the comment session included architectural drawings of the proposed park, a map of where the park would be located, a video by Grant Berrios about the benefits of a dog park, and copies of rules and regulations for the park.
The proposed park will be located along Benton Street just past the west end of Bob Henry Park on private property owned by the Felts family. The family has agreed to lease the land to the park for $1 a year for the next 30 years, according to Renea Sassnet, who is leading the effort to bring the park to Siloam Springs.
If completed, the park will be about two acres in size and will include play area for large dogs, a play area for small dogs and an agility course area. An archway will begin a walkway made of brick pavers leading into the park. The walkway will end on the opposite end of the park with a modern style gazebo -- in keeping with Siloam Springs' Gazebo theme -- that will provide shade and an area to rest and relax.
The park will connect with the city trail system by the Dogwood Springs Walking Trail so that people and their pets can easily incorporate a visit into their walk. The plans for the project also include cleaning and opening the wooded area along Sager Creek directly behind the proposed park and improving a little-known dirt walking path that follows Sager Creek beyond the Dogwood Walking Trail Bridge.
A benefit of dog parks is they provide socialization not only for dogs but also for humans, Sassnet said. The committee developed a list of 21 rules for the dog park and trail system, including regulations requiring dogs to be vaccinated and owners to pick up dog waste. Aggressive dogs are not allowed and handlers must be with the dogs at all times and older than 16 years of age.
The budget for the park is about $250,000, including public and private funds, Sassnet said. In addition to private donations from the Simmons family and funding from the city, Sassnet hopes to raise $50,000 to $70,000 from other contributors. Her fundraising plans include selling brick pavers for the walkway that could be engraved with a family or pet's name, holding dog walk events and a "throw me a bone" campaign.
The proposal will go before the city board on July 21, according to Ben Rhoads, city planner. Sassnet's goal is for the park to open next April.
The story of the proposed dog park began with Sassnet's own dog, a German Shepard named Sampson. Sampson was in training and Sassnet had no place in Siloam Springs to let him off his leash so she found herself driving 45 minutes to an hour to take him to a dog park in Fayetteville or Bentonville.
She went to Mark Simmons and asked him for advice on how to create a dog park in Siloam Springs. Mark, his wife Diane and son Todd quickly got on board and helped Sassnet get a committee of 10 or 11 people together, including city officials, Simmons Foods employees, community members and representatives from Tailwaggers, she said.
The proposed park will provide a new attraction to Siloam Springs and will help build it's reputation as one of the best small towns in America, according to Jerry Laster, one of the committee members.
A dog park is a "hot button" for people who love dogs and will be a drawing point for people who are considering moving into the area, he said.
"We've been saying for years 'we wish we had a dog park,'" said Marikit Fain, who attended the public comment session with her husband Aaron Fain.
Marikit said they live downtown and have no fenced yard for their dog, a Chow -- German Shephard mix -- to be outside off the leash.
She said the plans for the park look really good and the area is much larger than she expected.
Aaron said he was a little sad about eliminating the open space but was glad to see the plans for the park include cleaning away the underbrush and maintaining the dirt trail.
"It's cleaning up an area and adding to the city park," he said.
"It will be really nice if it turns out," said Jennie Peterson, who lives with the Fains, "It will be fun to take the dog and let him run and play."
General News on 07/01/2015