Perhaps you could call Scout the unofficial mascot for the new Chelsea Dog Park.
He certainly enjoyed his time there Tuesday morning for the official ribbon cutting. The park is located on the Letts Creek Linear Park Trail, east of McKinley Street, north of the City Treatment Facility.
The friendly dog hammed it up for the Chelsea Parks and Recreation Committee and city staff members who enjoyed a perfect November morning for the event.
He walked on the new dog walk/bridge, roamed around, and even checked out the real fire hydrant that’s located inside the about 2.5 acre, fully fenced canine park.
Also inside the park are several jumps and a tire jump, but Mayor Melissa Johnson explained that Scout was more into sniffing and checking out the area (as well as investigating who might have dog treats in their pockets) than jumping through hoops.
There’s water at the park and offsite parking as well as a trash can for cleaning up dog waste.
Chelsea City Manager John Hanifan thanked city staff who he said “took ownership” of the new space, coming up with the idea of adding the obstacle course.
“Thank you to the Parks Committee and staff,” he said, adding that something “this simple (when compared to million-dollar infrastructure projects) has captured the interest of city residents.”
Hanifan said that most of the project was grant funded with the exception of the about a fifth of a mile paved path. The 5 Healthy Towns Foundation provided grant funding for the park and the City Council approved funding for the path to the park.
The path also is part of a larger linear park concept – The Letts Creek Linear Park – that is also part of the 5-Year Plan.
The dog park is part of a larger trail system, Johnson said, adding that the dog park is part of phase one of the city’s parks and recreation plan.
“This is a new amenity, a nice addition to the parks system,” Johnson said, adding that “It’s fantastic, a job well done.”
The dog park is open from dawn until dusk. And, to use it owners must fill out an application and get a city-issued tag. Dogs must also have Washtenaw County licenses.
Registration forms and the rules are available here.
The new park is part of the City of Chelsea’s 5-year Parks Plan Update. The plan was created by the Parks Steering Committee with public input and approved by the City Council.
I and my dog Zeus missed out on the dog park by just a few weeks, recently moving from Chelsea to Grand Island, Nebraska for a career opportunity. I’d like to take him to the dog park when I return home to visit my family. It was my understanding that there would be an opportunity for non-residents to pay extra to use the park. Is that not happening now? That would be very disappointing.