A section of Three Creeks Park is going to the dogs.
At its June 16 meeting, Columbus City Council approved a contract with Law General Contracting for the construction of off-leash areas at both Three Creeks Park near Groveport and Wheeler Park in north Columbus.
The cost for both projects totals $380,000 and will be funded through the 1999/2004 Voted Recreation and Parks Bond Fund.
A five-acre area at Sycamore Fields in Three Creeks Park, near Watkins and Spangler roads, is set aside for the project. Once completed, it will feature a fenced in area where dogs can run unleashed while being watched by their owners. There will also be a fence separating smaller breeds of dogs from larger ones.
Twenty-five additional parking spots are also planned for the area.
"It’s really wonderful for them to have an environment where they can just run free," said Councilwoman Priscilla Tyson, chair of the Recreation and Parks Committee for Columbus.
According to John Ivanic, director of communications for the city of Columbus, the ordinance was passed as an emergency so that construction can start immediately.
Construction of the park is expected to continue through the summer season, with the final step, the planting of turf, taking place at the end of September.
If everything goes according to plan, the dog park is expected to open in the spring of 2009, said Ivanic.
As the popularity of dog parks has grown, Columbus has strived to provide places for those with four-legged friends.
The Columbus Dog Park Committee, a 12 member group made up of pet advocates, recommended the Sycamore Fields site to council.
"We’re trying to serve all sides of the city," said Tyson, noting the success of a dog park on East Livingston Avenue.
