Leadership Academy team poses Jasper dog park plan

Citing nearly a 1,000 signatures supporting a dog park in Jasper, members of a Dubois County Leadership Academy Team asked for the Jasper Park Board’s approval to continue moving forward with their capstone project.

The leadership team named The Barktastic Four is comprised of Shane Denu, Jill Cravener, Emma Wininger and Nichole Faulkner. They presented an estimated cost of $30,400 to place the dog park at Gutzweiler Park on East 16th or at Buehler Park on Howard Drive. The price included a fence with a double gate, electronic key card or chain, dog sanitation stations with bags and a water source.

Cravener told the board that a dog park could be used to revitalize an existing park and would be a nice addition to the amenities the city provides.  “Dog parks are often the most utilized of parks as 63 percent of pet owners own a dog,” Cravener told the board.

The team suggested a $25 annual fee to the park as a way to help defray costs and ensure the dogs were properly immunized. They also felt the city should require the dogs be spade or neutered as a requirement to prevent any dogs in heat from entering the park.

The Leadership Team stated they are willing to raise funds to help cover the costs. “We were hoping for it to be budgeted before June or July,” Cravener said. “But if fundraising is what we need to do, we will do it. We will make that our project.”

Jim Wagner, a resident who approached the board about a dog park last year, attended Tuesday’s meeting with the group. He stated Jasper has been entered into the Petsafe Bark for Your Park contest to help fund the dog park.

The contest asks residents of a city or town to accrue votes for their project through a special contest site. Visitors can vote twice a day; once on the site and once on a special Facebook site. The overall winner will will receive $100,000 to go to a dog park and the winners of the small, medium and large categores will each receive $25,000. A fourth prize of $25,000 will go to the city with the highest percentage of participation in the voting.