DOWNTOWN DOG PARK

PUBLIC MEETING: Presentation from Oct. 1st Public Meeting [PDF] Dog Park Design from Oct. 1st Public Meeting [PDF] Public Meeting Notes - 11/28/07 [PDF] Map of Proposed Dog Park Location [PDF] Mardi Growl Parade 09/25/08 - Public Meeting Set to Discuss Downtown Dog Park 01/23/09 - City Wins State's Green Development Grant Joe Walsh Parks & Recreation Director jwalsh@cityofknoxville.org Room 303, City County Building 865-215-2091 Fax: 865-215-2408 The city is moving forward with plans to build a new dog park in downtown Knoxville. The dog park will be located on a section of green space at the southeast corner of the intersection of Summit Hill and Central Avenue. The city began exploring the idea of creating the park because of the growing number of downtown residents who have dogs and wanted a nearby location where they could take them off the leash. PetSafe (an affiliate of Radio Systems Corporation, which is headquartered in Knoxville) is providing funding for the downtown dog park as one of their efforts to make Knoxville and Knox County the most pet-friendly community in the country. Conceptual design plans, developed by the East Tennessee Community Design Center and volunteers from Carol R. Johnson & Associates, were unveiled at a public meeting on October 1st. Click here to review the presentation from the public meeting. It was determined that some additional funds were needed to implement the park according to this design. The City applied and was selected for a $10,000 Green Development Grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to offset some of the costs, and together with PetSafe and several downtown residents, formed Friends of the Downtown Dog Park. Currently, Friends of the Downtown Dog Park are seeking additional funds to support park development. The short-term fundraising goal is $15,000 by June 1st; any additional funds raised beyond that period will go towards purchasing things like benches, waste receptacles, trees and shrubs that can added to the park post-construction. If you would like to donate, please visit the Legacy Parks website at www.legacyparks.org/support_donate.html and earmark your donation for the "Downtown Dog Park." Construction on the dog park is expected to begin in Summer 2009. If you have questions or comments about the proposed downtown dog park, please email Joe Walsh at jwalsh@cityofknoxville.org DOG PARK DESIGN: CLICK HERE TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE [PDF]