Town of Dundee Celebrating Grand Opening of Johnson Dog Park on Saturday
by James Coulter
Whether they get there on two legs or four, residents of Dundee and the surrounding area are invited to arrive for the grand opening of the city’s public dog park this Saturday.
Johnson Dog Park, located at 800 Edmund Ave., will be hosting its grand opening celebration on Sat. Aug. 10 from 10 AM – 2 PM.
The festivities will include a ribbon cutting to commemorate the official opening of the park to the public, as well as opportunities for residents and their pets to explore the park and its many amenities.
Adoption opportunities will also be provided through Polk County Animal Control. While animals will not be presented on-site, official adoption forms will be made available for potential pet owners.
The new park area includes various amenities for pets and owners alike, from benches and shade trees to dog tunnels, hoops, and a weight station.
Over the past two years, the City of Dundee has receivedrequests from residents to designate a public space as a dog park for local pet owners, explained Tandra Davis, Town Manager.
As the town owned a vacant park area that was not being put to immediate use, the city decided to utilize that space to construct the proposed dog park, Davis said.
“The dog park was an idea left to our stakeholders and residents,” she said. “We had numerous residents who came to town city commission meetings over the last two and a half years request[ing] that we look into having a dog park and [into] the communities that have these areas for their loved ones.”
While dog parks exist in most other cities within Polk County, the Town of Dundee wanted to create something unique to their community and its needs, said John Vice, Public Works Director.
“I am trying to be different from other municipalities in other surrounding areas,” he said. “We wanted to put ours on the map. We did not want it to be what you see going along the road. We wanted this to be different. It is an ideal concept. What can we do to reuse other products to build a dream factor while constructing this park.”
The Town of Dundee has nothing but high expectations for the new park and its grand opening. Residents have been asking for such a facility for a long time, and hopefully, this new public park will meet their needs, said Lita O’Neil, Town Clerk.
O’Neil owes the success of the park’s construction to the support from their various partners, both inside and outside the city, including the Town of Lake Hamilton, the City of Davenport, Polk County Animal Control, and Odum Contracting.
“We just want to welcome and make sure we have a welcome to anyone who wants to come out and participate and that they bring their loved ones with them,” she said.
Johnson Dog Park is located at 800 Edmund Ave. in Dundee. The grand opening will be hosted on Sat. Aug 10 from 10 AM to 2 PM
