The city will have a ribbon-cutting for the new dog park at Big Turtle Park in west Oak Ridge on Monday. Above, the park is pictured under construction in October.
The city will have a ribbon-cutting for the new dog park at Big Turtle Park in west Oak Ridge on Monday.
The ribbon-cutting is at 11:30 a.m. Monday.
Construction has been under way since this summer at the city’s first dog park, which is being built with help from a $100,000 donation from Radio Systems Corp. through Legacy Parks.
The park is roughly one acre, and it includes one fenced-in field for small dogs and another for all dogs, said Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Parks Division supervisor. It has benches, waste bags and waste bag dispensers, and water fountains for humans and dogs—although they’ve been shut off for the winter. There is also an extensive set of rules posted at the park gate, prohibiting dogs in heat and puppies under six months, and requiring aggressive dogs to be removed immediately.
Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson recently said the park will allow dogs to socialize, and it will also build community through resident interactions.
The dog park donation from Radio Systems Corp., maker of the PetSafe Brand, was announced in February.
Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Josh Collins said then that the donation helps achieve a long-term community goal. Money had been the primary obstacle to building the dog park, a project that’s been in the works for about four to five years.
The project has its ardent supporters, and there is a Facebook page called “We want a dog park in Oak Ridge!”
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