Community Update on Possible Dog Run at Garden Home Park
Dog Run at Garden Home Park will not be moving forward
Thank you to everyone in the Garden Home neighborhood who shared your views about the idea to place a fenced-in dog run at Garden Home Park. After careful consideration of the input the district received from the public, THPRD leadership has decided to not site a dog run at Garden Home Park at this time.
Why are we not siting a dog run at Garden Home Park?
Siting dog runs and dog parks can be a challenge. Adding more off-leash options for dogs is one of the most common requests we get at the park district. However, siting dog runs or dog parks can be challenging. In evaluating public input on park amenities like dog runs, THPRD does our best to look at each situation uniquely. By that, we evaluate the unique siting conditions and the feedback we receive from the public about the use of the existing site.
In doing so, it became apparent that the proposed location of the dog run at Garden Home Park was not ideal due to the unique uses of this portion of the park. Park neighbors were very compelling when they spoke to the unique benefit of the existing use of this location within the park. It is a spot that is on higher ground, avoids much of the complications from the adjacent wetlands, and that the neighbors rely on for watching games, enjoying neighborhood picnics and gatherings, and for sledding during snow events.
Overall, THPRD leaders felt the information from the community was compelling that the existing use of this location within the park was too valuable and couldn’t be easily shifted to another location within the park’s existing layout.
Staff had also shared that this was the only suitable location for a dog run given the soggy conditions that exist at much of the park during the year. So at this time, there was not an identifiable alternative spot to site the dog run at Garden Home Park.
Could a dog run be considered at Garden Home Park in the future?
Yes, absolutely, it is a possibility in the future. During the outreach process for the dog run, we received a lot of feedback about the need to improve the park. People discussed the condition of the play equipment, the need for additional walking paths, and a general desire to see the park be redesigned. THPRD recognizes that in the future, the play equipment at Garden Home Park will come up for replacement on the district’s capital improvement plan, and there will be a time to work on an updated design for the park. At that time, we will work with neighbors on a community engagement process for the overall park updates and all options would be back on the table in terms of the park’s overall redesign.
Where can I learn more about THPRD development projects?
In the meantime, stay up to date on the district’s development projects and upcoming dog runs by visiting our Projects in Progress webpage. For questions about off-leash dog areas, please visit our Dog Parks webpage or contact Liana Harden at L.Harden@thprd.org.