Acreage is OK'd for Mandeville dog park.Full article on www.nola.comBy Cindy Chang
A park that north shore canines can call their own is one step closer to reality after Pelican Park near Mandeville agreed to set aside a 2- to 3-acre site.
Now, the dogs must count on their human benefactors to raise over $155,000 for fences, water stations, benches and other basic facilities.
If fundraising goes well, the north shore's first dog park could open as soon as December 2009, said Sarah Pokorny, the Mandeville resident who organized the campaign beginning with an online petition in February.
A second phase of construction, which would include a swimming hole and a bone-shaped walking trail, has a price tag of about $200,000 and could be completed after the first phase already is being used.
"We have the land now, thanks to Pelican Park," Pokorny said. "Now we're at the beginning of the second hurdle -- looking for community support."
Three months after starting the petition, Pokorny had 500 signatures from dog lovers but no land. Over the summer, talks with Kathy Foley, Pelican Park's director, grew more serious.
On Sept. 27, the board of directors approved a plan to turn an undeveloped tract of land across the road from the skate park into the Pelican Bark Park, provided Pokorny's group pays all the construction costs.
The exact dimensions are yet to be determined, with estimates ranging from 2 to 3.5 acres.
An annual membership fee may be charged to use the park, depending on whether Pelican Park picks up the tab for maintaining the site or whether the Bark Park group has to pay for upkeep.
If the group comes up with the needed money, local dogs will someday be able to shed their leashes, free to make friends, wrestle, chase each other and do all the things they like to do when they are together.
The only park on the north shore where dogs are allowed off-leash is the Mandeville lakefront before 8 a.m. There, owners worry about traffic on nearby Lakeshore Drive as well as joggers who do not appreciate dogs running loose.
On the south shore, a dog park opened at the Bonnabel boat launch along Lake Pontchartrain in Metairie this spring.
Dog owners congregate along the Mississippi River levee beside Leake Avenue and at several other unofficial spots, but City Bark, scheduled to open in City Park as soon as next spring, will be the first public space in New Orleans built just for dogs.
There are more than 50 dog parks in New York City, about 20 in the Los Angeles area and many others in cities across the country. Baton Rouge opened its first dog park in 2006 and plans to construct a dozen more.
A rendering of the Pelican Bark Park shows a grassy expanse dotted with trees, punctuated by the walking path and pond that would be completed in phase two. An area near the entrance is set aside for small dogs.
"I'm pretty excited. It's a pretty-looking plan, and we've got a very excited group of dog lovers. Everyone's going to like it," said Nixon Adams, chairman of the Pelican Park board, whose Yorkshire terrier recently passed away.
More information about the dog park can be found at www.pelicanbarkpark.org.
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Cindy Chang can be reached at cchang@timespicayune.com or 985.898.4816.
