City pooches will be getting a new place to run around for doggie playdates as Oakdale City Council members approved the Maag Avenue Dog Park layout Monday night, March 15, clearing the way for volunteers to start the construction of the community-driven new park.
City Council approved plans to move forward with the design process for a new dog park at the drainage basin on Maag Avenue, north of the Oakdale Junior High School campus, in October 2020 as community volunteers Jennifer Stasio and Michelle Thomasser led the charge to make it happen.
The civic-minded volunteers presented council with a plan involving local landscape architect Sam Harned to finalize the design.
“They’ve done a lot of legwork and we’re appreciative of that,” City Manager Bryan Whitemyer said of the two volunteers.
The plan evolved into a fully-fleshed out plan that was used to create the construction bid, which was won by Sinclair General Engineer Construction for a lump sum bid of $112,050.
Funds to construct the project will come from donations from members of the community.
“We definitely have our work cut out for us,” Stasio shared of the community project, adding that the top donor will have the honor of naming the park. “It’s something we’ve been thinking about for quite a while and we’re really excited about it.”
The city will assist with the development of the project and will provide two dog water stations and four dog waste stations in the park, as well as handle the permitting and construction inspection process to provide the necessary water connections.
“This is a really cool project that has been spearheaded by local volunteers and we thank them for that,” Whitemyer said.
The popularity of the west side dog park near the intersection of Crane Road and Greger Street sparked a need for an east side dog park as people come from all around the valley to utilize Oakdale’s dog facilities.
“Compared to other dog parks it’s the best around,” Whitemyer shared.
According to city documents, the cost to purchase and install a water fountain for the dog park will be under $10,000. Funds from the Park Replacement Fund – 549 will be used for this project.
