Bark Park ready for canine visitors in Danville

The Coates Bark Park — the dog park at Coates Recreation Center — is ready for canine guests.

There are still some finishing touches coming, but the fences are done, making sure there are no gaps dogs can wiggle through, the covered shelter is complete and dogs are welcome to shed their leashes and stretch their legs, according to Bill Sgrinia, director of Danville Parks, Recreation & Tourism.

There were several delays that resulted in the park taking much longer to complete than anticipated, Sgrinia said.

Water pooled at the bottom on the hill that leads to the park, bringing fears that there might be a hidden, underground spring that would prevent the project altogether. After inspections, it was determined that it was just runoff from rainfall, and ditches had to be dug to direct that water away from the walkway and park.

The finishing touches include signs, which is now ready and waiting for soil soaked by recent rains to dry out.

Benches, trash cans, doggie waste stations and a leash rack, all with dog-themed designs, are all on the way. There will even be some agility equipment, such as hoops for dogs to jump through, placed informally around the park. Old, non-working fire hydrants will also dot the park’s landscape, Johnny Walker, director at Coates Recreation Center, said.

Walker said people have been using the park already, between times when work was being done.

“It’s already getting a lot of use,” Walker said.

The 20-foot by 20-foot covered shelter, over a concrete pad, gives dog owners somewhere to relax while their pets play, and a safe, gated area to get them to their side of the park. One side is for dogs that weight 40 pounds or less, while the other is for bigger dogs.

Water fountains have been installed, for both pets and their owners, but are turned off for the winter.

The finishing touches will be done by spring, and that’s when the formal “grand opening” will take place, Sgrinia said.

In the meantime, people will have time to get used to the park and the rules that will be posted as soon as the signs can be installed.

The list of 25 rules looks a little daunting at first, but most of the rules just make sense, such as those that require dogs to be vaccinated, prohibit female dogs who are in heat andd require handlers to fill in any holes their dogs dig.

There are also rules that cover basic safety: no strollers or bicycles in the off-leash areas, aggressive dogs are forbidden and no other pets are allowed in the dog park, for instance.

The park is open dawn to dusk, and handlers are responsible for any injuries or damage caused by their dogs.

“There are always risks, and this is an unsupervised facility,” Sgrinia said, adding that he hopes there will be volunteers in the future who will help keep an eye on the park.

Sgrinia said he has been looking around Danville for other likely locations for additional dog parks.

“I think Danville can support three,” Sgrinia said, adding room for dogs to run and play with their owners and other dogs is a great thing to offer residents. “The more time a person spends with their dog builds the relationship and provides a better life for the dog.”

Once the finishing touches are done, there will be a fee to become a member of the park. That fee will be $25 a year, less than 50 cents a week, Sgrinia said. The fee will help cover the cost of maintaining the park.

Coates Recreation Center is located at 1725 Westover Drive.