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DELAWARE — Spring has sprung, and what better way to celebrate than taking your favorite canine for a stroll at the city of Delaware’s dog park?
The dog park, located at 840 Mill Run Crossing, closed in February for some routine maintenance, turf restoration and a new feature for…humans? But it is reopening for the season on Friday, April 24.
Residents got a little anxious when the park didn’t reopen on April 17, but fear not — it didn’t reopen for good reason.
The city’s parks and recreation superintendent, JP Linkous, said crews replaced the gravel parking lot with a new $60,000 paved lot.
Since the asphalt plant just reopened last Wednesday, crews weren’t able to pave the lot in time for the highly anticipated April 17 reopening, Linkous said.
But now, visitors and their furry, four-legged friends can enjoy some level ground before roaming the five-acre park.
“They put the base coat down yesterday and the top coat down today,” Linkous said on Tuesday.
“The lines are getting painted tomorrow, and all the dirt work and seeding is getting done Thursday so the park can open on Friday.”
Other work done around the dog park
Aside from the new parking lot, Linkous said crews just let the grass rest to keep the park from turning into mud.
“We try to keep the turf in good health out there. Dog parks are notorious for turning to mud,” Linkous said. “So, from the middle of February to about the middle of April, we let the turf rest, put down fertilizer, aerate and roll.”
Linkous added that the dog park does feature two sections, one for bigger dogs and one for smaller dogs.
“We do flip those sections every year just to try and keep one section from turning to mud like the other one,” he said.
“We’re just trying to keep it as nice as we can, because there are a lot of visitors out there that’s for sure.”
