Colerain Township’s opening its new dog park this spring at Heritage Park.
Trustees approved $8,000 worth of improvements to one of four ballfields at the park to convert it for canine users. Trustee Raj Rajgopal said the township’s surrounding neighbors have parks for their residents’ dogs and Colerain Township residents will now have a place of their own to allow their dogs to run.
Contracts for the work were approved April 10: $2,050 to Simpson Fence for fencing; $2,950 to Bob Meyer Landscape for five trees: four 5-inch caliper trees and one 4-inch caliper tree for shade; and $3,000 to Accents Aquatics for a dog fountain.
Heritage Park has four NCAA-sized baseball fields. Kevin Schwartzhoff, director of Colerain Township Public Services, proposed converting one of those fields for use as a dog park in November. The township has other ballfields and he said the dog park would repurpose an underutilized field.
Heritage Park is a 126-acre park at 11405 E Miami River Road along the Great Miami River on the western edge of the township. And since it is not adjacent to a residential area, it reduces concerns about the noise that sometimes accompanies a dog park.
With 1.2 miles of paved walking trails and a disc golf course, it’s a popular destination for residents, especially those who enjoy walking their dogs.
Schwartzhoff said the park should open by mid-May.
“We are trying to get on the schedule with the fencing company,” he said. “It shouldn’t take long to make the changes necessary.”
