May 12, 2011 was a gala day for Beban Dog Park. Unseasonable weather had closed the park for two weeks longer than originally anticipated, so the reopening was heralded with enthusiasm from all quarters. And what enthusiasm!
Note the new bench in the background.
Many, MANY dogs and their people were there for the opening of the park and many more came.
Kirsty MacDonald, a Parks and Open Space Planner who is working with the City of Nanaimo, visited the dog park on the 13th, talking to people about the new and improved dog park. She and I chatted a little about fundraising ideas because I was all enthusiastic about the idea of getting the Nanaimo dog community involved with raising money to support more fencing of off-leash areas elsewhere in the city.
The City of Nanaimo can help with the collection of donations with a special bank account earmarked for the stated purpose of the donations and fundraising. At this point, I’m hearing a lot from interested dog owners at the park who would be open to organizing and supporting events to raise money for fencing more dog parks. However this is deserving of a blog post of its own.
Back to the grand opening: the new tunnel-hill was a great success. However, it got just a little too popular, as some of the turf strips haven’t had a chance to take root on the western side of the hill. The dogs were very frequently digging in it and pulling at the edges of the turf strips, much to their owners’ chagrin. Today I noticed some bright orange temporary fencing around the worst areas, so here’s hoping that the turf will begin to knit in the warm days to come.
The City has acknowledged in its statements about Beban Dog Park that the turf will need regular maintenance and that the dog park may be closed for a short time to effect that maintenance. For now, however, it is lush and green, without that lumpy muddiness that characterized the former terrain.
I’ve been told that the City has a possible alternative, should the heavy use be too much for it, though – the old soccer field turf! This is something that I haven’t thought of before, but it could very well work. The artificial turf was built for spiked soccer shoes, so it will probably stand up to dog nails. Also, when the City re-covers the present soccer fields (a new one is being built right now), it will be cost-effective to repurpose the old covering for the dog park. Let’s hope that we never need it, but it’s nice to know that there are some solutions to the problem of too many dogs on the grass.
This took the better part of an hour to set up - Tierce refused to enter the tunnel until I went inside and proved that it wasn't a gate to an alternate dimension.
The promised agility equipment has been postponed for now. Some concerns were raised about whether some equipment would pose a danger to dogs who were not trained how to navigate it.
I agree regarding the see-saw, as I think this would probably not be a good idea for dogs who have not been carefully trained how to shift their balance and it might encourage people to view the park as a playground, not a dog park.
The small dog park has had the most drastic improvements and it has paid off – to my untutored eye, there are about twice as many people using it now than before. The newly flattened terrain, the enlarged area and the gravelled pathway all around the small dog park have made it an easy destination for small dogs and their owners. ETA: There is now a water faucet in the small dog park.
I was told that one modification that is being seriously considered is a gate between the dog parks, which would enable people with small dogs to easily go from one to the other.
All in all, the dog park opening was a great success and the days succeeding it seem to show that the improvements have not been in vain – it seems that there are more people than ever enjoying Beban dog park. I really have to go change the Beban dog park page now.
Nanaimo Dog Parks 