Written by Kenton Hornbeck, LINK nky reporter
Dogs in Covington can gleefully rejoice as the city begins construction of a new neighborhood dog park.
The city’s public works department began removing pavement, playground equipment, and short divider walls with a Bobcat last week.
The park will feature high-end decorative fencing, separate areas for small and large dogs, water fountains (for dogs and their owners), benches, shaded areas, and a perimeter trail.
“We’ve been wanting a dog park for a really long time,” Covington resident Olivia Gobble said Monday while she was walking her dog Charlie. “We’ve lived here for 2 and a half years and always had to drive to get to the closest dog park. We’ve always wished there was a closer one to here. We walk everywhere around here so the convenience will help a lot.”
Local dogs will have access to a 1 and a half acre site at Ninth and Philadelphia streets. The park will be named after Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason Bishop, who was a 2003 graduate of Holmes High School. Bishop was killed by a bomb serving in Iraq with the 101st Airborne. The adjacent playground bears Bishop’s name.
The city plans for the park to be open by late spring; additional neighborhood dog parks on the city’s eastern edge and in South Covington are also possibilities.
“The dog park is going to be a tremendous asset for the City of Covington in providing safe, fun recreational opportunities to its community members,” Ben Oldiges, Covington Parks & Recreation manager, said. “Covington, has for a long time, been a dog town. Its community members love their furry friends, and for just as long there has been a desire to give both man and dog a space to run free and have space to spend time with one another.”
The selected site was actually the second most popular location to build a dog park. Last year, the city conducted a survey on possible locations to build a dog park. The most popular site, a field in the shadows of Interstate 75, was ruled out due to health concerns. The area was previously used for stormwater detention and has been covered with partially treated sewage several times a year during large storms.
Covington now joins Newport, Ft. Thomas and Boone County, which all have dog parks. Newport’s dog park is behind the city’s branch of the Campbell County Library at 901 E. 6th St. Ft. Thomas’s dog park is located at 199 Mayfield Ave. within Highland Hills Park. The Boone County Dog Park is located at 5550 Idlewild Rd. within England Idlewild Park in Burlington.
“This dog park, which is nestled in one of the city’s many historic neighborhoods, will provide this safe space for our community to spend time with our four-legged family members,” Oldiges said. “It’s going to bring even more excitement, energy and fun to a city that is just bursting at the seams with upward momentum and enthusiasm. We are hoping that it will also serve as a reminder to community members, that we listen to them, we hear them, and we are going to follow through on their desires and recreational needs.”
Funding for the dog park comes from federal sources and a $10,000 donation from the Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors. The city also plans to issue a request for approximately $100,000 worth of fencing at the site. The equipment and installation will cost more than $125,000. Brandstetter Carroll Inc. designed the park.
Photo: Olivia Gobble and her dog Charlie (Kenton Hornbeck)
