Bark Park Opening Saturday
Date:
10/01/2009 (Last updated: 10/05/2009)Summary:
The Yuma Parks and Recreation Department and members of the Dog Park Citizens Committee are pleased to announce the opening of Yuma's first dog park, The Bark Park, 1705 E. Palo Verde Street, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.Contact:
Yuma, Arizona - The Yuma Parks and Recreation Department and members of the Dog Park Citizens Committee are pleased to announce the opening of Yuma's first dog park, The Bark Park, 1705 E. Palo Verde Street, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Opening festivities also include a Blessing of the Animals facilitated by Monsignor O'Keeffe of Immaculate Conception Parish, in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi's love for all creatures. Once officially opened, Yuma's 3.35-acre dog park will be open six days a week, Wednesday through Monday from dawn until 9 p.m.
The park is the result of outreach by the Citizens Committee, which sought and obtained funding through donations, sales of benches and pickets and other means, and the City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department. By using volunteers and donations, plus scaling back the project from its originally planned size and having some costs come in lower than expected, this project was funded largely by people who are either users or supporters of the park.
Featuring a water station, benches, poop stations with bags provided and containers to dispose of the bags, The Bark Park was made from land that serves as a retention basin just west of the large strip shopping center at the southwest corner of the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Palo Verde Street. To convert the land into a park where dogs may roam leash-free (leashes are required on dogs at all other City parks), double-entry gates were installed and existing fence bars were reinforced with mesh.
The park is closed on Tuesdays for maintenance. This is not only to clean up any dog feces that owners may have missed or failed to pick up themselves, but also for parks maintenance staff to monitor and treat the area for unwanted invasive pests such as fleas or ticks.
Parking for The Bark Park is along Palo Verde Street and is permitted in the parking lot of Fallas Paredes, on the north side of Palo Verde Street.
