To the Editor: Hey Crozet, We’re Getting a Dog Park!

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Hey Crozet, We’re Getting a Dog Park!

Crozet Dog Park
Crozet Dog Park

After nearly two years of planning and fundraising, the new Crozet Dog Park will officially open its gates Saturday, December 5, with a brief dedication ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m.

Installation of fencing and gates is underway for the partly wooded, 1.5-acre site located just to the east of the lower baseball field at Claudius Crozet Park. Many of the hardwoods along the perimeter of the dog park and within the fenced-in areas have been left to provide shade for dogs and their owners. Based on dog park best practices and input from donors, the site has been divided into two areas: one for big dogs and one for little ones, although the larger area will be open to all dogs—big and little—depending on temperament. Dividing the site was also necessary to avoid disturbing a creek running across the site. Prior to opening, both areas will be fully fenced with double-gated entries, bag dispensers, and water hydrants. The dog park will be open from dawn to dusk every day of the year. All dog park users will be subject to a set of posted rules based on what has worked best at similar parks.

The dog park is reached by entering Crozet Park either on foot or by car, turning right once you reach the end of the main entry and coming down to the baseball fields and parking area. Walk between the playground and the lower baseball field to the wooded area just past the corner of the right field fence. From there a trail will bring you down to enter into the dog areas.

Building the dog park was a community effort that spanned the past 18 months. I am grateful for the enthusiastic work and support of a number of people and organizations.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank Albemarle County Parks & Recreation (ACPR) for designating the 1.5-acre site for the dog park. The County-owned dog park site adjoins the community-owned Crozet Park property. In addition to providing this property, the County team did brush clearing for the site and installation of the water lines. I would especially like to thank Jim Barbour, Matt Smith, and Terry Hughes for all the time they’ve spent on planning and development, working with me to turn project requirements into reality. As our community-owned Crozet Park has grown and strengthened, so too has our partnership with ACPR under the leadership of Bob Crickenberger. This partnership is the cornerstone of so much of the progress we’ve been able to make these last few years at Crozet Park.

Our first effort at fundraising for the dog park came in the form of several “Pints for Pups” events held on the patio of Starr Hill Brewery in the spring and summer of 2014. We raised pints, dollars, and awareness of the dog park for the very first time. By the time we held our third and final event, “Cheers for Charity,” at Starr Hill in April of 2015, we had gathered funds, support and detailed input on the dog park (while also developing a more advanced knowledge of Starr Hill’s fine brews!). Thank you to the team at Starr Hill Brewery for hosting these events and making so many of us with dogs in tow feel welcome. About a third of our total fundraising dollars came from Starr Hill’s “Pints for Pups” events, where they donated a dollar for every pint sold.

Thank you also to my colleagues and friends at the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA, who helped me prepare for several of these fundraising events and then were kind enough to attend and show their support. I continue to be inspired by the SPCA’s mission and look forward to their continued support of state-wide efforts to build more areas for dogs to play.

The Starr Hill events and the resulting media coverage also triggered in-kind services, product donations, and additional funding. We are especially grateful to the Starr Hill Red Light Fund of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF) that awarded Crozet Park a $10,000 matching challenge grant in June of 2015. This funding came at a critical time in the project, allowing us to afford the installation all of the dog park’s fencing and gates. Thank you to Ann Kingston and everyone at the Starr Hill Red Light Fund helping us make it happen.

Thank you to Yancey Mills Lumber for providing an immensity of mulch, doing so with a significant discount. This mulch was delivered to the dog park by W.A. Wells using two dump trucks rolling back and forth all day long. Thank you to the nursing team from the U.Va. Health System’s Depart-ment of Orthopaedics and Trauma, 6-East, who gave us an entire day of volunteering as part of the United Way Day of Caring. They spread many mountains of mulch throughout the dog park.

Thank you to Evergreen Fencing Company for installing all the fencing and gates at the dog park. Thank you to DoodyCalls, who will donate and install four mini-bag stations and over 22,000 bags! DoodyCalls, headquartered in Charlottesville, is a national company providing homeowners and their communities with year-round professional pet waste removal.

To celebrate the “dog days of August,” the Crozet Dog Park was the sponsored charity at Fardowners. Throughout that month Fardowners donated 10 percent of food sales to anyone with a special dog park voucher. Thank you W.C. and the entire team for continuing to support local projects.

On a more personal note, I’d like to thank my friend and colleague on the Park Board, Karl Pomeroy, whose devotion to this project was beyond compare. Karl was the liaison between ACPR and Crozet Park and, worked with all the vendors hired by Crozet Park to coordinate services. Karl spent an incredible amount of time making sure every project detail was considered and completed. He did all of this even though he doesn’t own a dog (though I give him updates on Cville-Albemarle SPCA puppies and kittens in the hope of changing this some day!). Thank you, Karl. This project would have been far more challenging and a lot less fun if you hadn’t been involved.

And finally, thank you to all the many individual donors, some of whom donated more than once, to get this project off the ground. Donations came from around the County and beyond, and all added much needed energy and excitement.

As a community, we should be proud when the dog park opens—it adds one small component to the quality of life that we all enjoy in Crozet. But the work related to the dog park is not complete. We will look to future dog park users to form a group of volunteers to help set direction for the park and assist in maintenance. The dog park will need continued financial support for regular doses of mulch for the enclosed area and paths, plus fence maintenance and continued landscaping. For more information on how you can get involved, please visit:
facebook.com/crozetdogpark and www.crozetdogpark.org.

Thanks to everyone for helping add this wonderful new amenity to Claudius Crozet Park! On December 5 bring your family and of course your dog, and join us for the grand opening starting at 10 a.m.

Kim Guenther

President, Board of Directors, 
Claudius Crozet Park

 

1 COMMENT

  1. Please note that we are moving the grand opening of the Crozet Dog Park to Saturday, December 12th at 10AM. This week’s rainy weather has made it impossible to complete all the remaining project tasks. Hope to see you on the 12th !

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