COOL RUNNINGS

dewey dog park

THE 15,000-SQUARE-FOOT dog park

addition at dewey Park debuted ON A CHILLY DAY IN EARLY DECEMBER last year. but the weather was no deterrent to area dogs and their owners, said THEN-director brook bench of the city’s Parks, recreation & Public ProPerty dePartment. the dog Park, which is oPen to everyone, has been a hit since day one.

“a lot of dog owners will like to hear that there’s no mud,” bench said, explaining that foot and paw traffic can quickly turn a grassy area bare. “at dewey it’s all turf— no grass—and the whole thing is irrigated so it can be flushed and go straight to sewer. so if we have several days without rain, we can turn on the irrigation system and let it run so it can clean the whole facility.”

Doggie delight the park boasts two synthetic-turf play areas including one designated for smaller dogs, an elevated play platform, agility features, sunshades with bench seating, and a water play area open in warmer months. it’s distinctly different from the city’s other dog park areas at hanscom Park in midtown and hefflinger Park in northwest omaha.

“we reached out and talked to many different folks about what they would like to see if we built something like this,” bench said. dewey Park was an ideal site, he added. the midtown location is surrounded by condos and other multi-family residences, meaning many of the dog owners in the neighborhood don’t have yards for their four-legged friends to run in and there were limited large, dog-friendly spaces in the area.

city landscape architect and Park Planner John williams said he found multiple sources of inspiration for the park’s design.

“i looked at images of other dog parks across the country to see what they did and also brainstormed with a few other park planners in my department to come up with ideas,” he said. “one thing i knew i wanted, given the limited space, was as big of an open area as possible to allow the dogs to have unobstructed running room.”

williams said his favorite dog park elements are the water features. “i also think the umbrella sunshades are pretty cool.”

Pooch and people parties dewey Park, which is located along turner boulevard south of harney street in the midtown area, has multiple people amenities including tennis and handball courts, basketball hoops and playground equipment. the dog park addition is separated by six-foot perimeter fencing and provides owners with pet waste bag dispensers and trash receptacles, so the canine occupants don’t interfere with other park activities. the area allocated for the dog park was a former green space, bench said, so nothing had to be compromised to accommodate the addition. a Parks department building at the site, once used for teaching health and safety classes, has meeting spaces and staff work spaces to support a full schedule of activities, many of them canine-friendly.

“we really want to start the activation of the park; we’re going to start a whole new line of events we’ve never done at any of our dog parks,” bench said, adding that fundraising efforts for the park has created some new partnerships that he hopes will foster ongoing programming and reach people in the area who are not aware of or haven’t taken advantage of what city parks and facilities have to offer.

key donors for the project included cella Quinn of cella Quinn investment services, urban village development, Jill slupe with the omaha west rotary foundation, omaha dog Park advocates, midtown crossing and mutual of omaha, the nebraska humane society, and baxter subaru. community members can still support the project by contributing to is ongoing maintenance through the omaha Parks foundation (omahaparksfoundation.org).

feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly positive, bench said. the city is planning similar dog park additions at miller Park in north omaha and as part of the gene leahy mall renovation downtown, and is also expecting to eventually open a dog park near the riverfront.

CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY PARTNER/SOURCE

CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY PARTNER/SOURCE