Lowell dog lovers push for park-The Grand Rapids Press

By Morgan Jarema
LOWELL -- A proposal for an open-air, fenced space for area dog owners to let their pets run free is gaining speed.

Lowell resident Jeff Eckstrom has been working since last summer to gather support for a public park where dogs can be without leashes.

His 4-year-old Old English Sheepdog, Chapin, weighs 115 pounds, and Eckstrom said he needs a bigger space than his quarter-acre city lot to run.

Eckstrom mailed surveys in September to 140 licensed dog owners in the city, to find out whether there would be support for a dog park.

He also left the questionnaires in area veterinary offices.

Of the 44 people who returned the surveys, 79 percent said they would use a dog park.

A four-person committee has been formed to look into the costs involved and fundraising, as well as location, design and rules.

Eckstrom said his group expects to start fundraising this month.

Possible locations discussed by the city's Parks and Recreation Commission include Upper Bridge Park near Grand River and Division Street, as well as undeveloped city-owned property south of Jackson Street.

Last spring, the city of Grand Rapids opened a dog park in Hillcrest Park in the Fulton Heights neighborhood on the city's Northeast Side. Donations paid the estimated $15,000 cost to install a chain-link fence for the park, as well as maintenance costs including dog-waste bags. Volunteers patrol the park to make sure users obey the rules.

For more information and to be put on a mailing list to be kept up to date on progress of the proposed dog park, call Eckstrom at 897-6677.