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GRAND FORKS – Despite high usage of dog parks in Grand Forks, there are no immediate plans for an additional dog park on a city level.
Jill Nelson, director of operations and community relations with the Grand Forks Park District, said plans for another dog park are "absolutely on our wish list."
However, she said, "we do not have any immediate plans in the works."
Nelson said the Park District doesn't often get requests from residents to open an additional dog park, but it has come up. One question usually arises, though: Where to put it?
“While we have discussed additional dog park locations in town, we have not found an optimal park due the concern of noise complaints within an existing neighborhood,” Nelson said.
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There are two dog parks in Grand Forks — the one at Lincoln Park, which is operated by the Park District and located within Lincoln Drive Park, and the Circle of Friends Humane Society Dog Park, located off North Washington.
Nelson said the Lincoln Dog Park is heavily used and the Park District often gets compliments from those who use it.
Throughout the years, tables and benches have been placed there. This year, solar lights were added, courtesy of a donation from a local Girl Scout troop . Nelson said lighting is among the top requests the Park District receives from users.
Another request is to open the Lincoln Dog park sooner in the year, but that's not always easy, due to its proximity to the Red River.
Flood cleanup along the entire Greenway and at the dog park was a longer process this year because of the rainy start to the spring season and multiple crests of the Red.
“This year was one of the worst years for clean-up because the river was up so long,” Nelson said. “We spent over a week cleaning up the silt that the river left behind. ... On years when the grass does not grow well, we will add engineered woodchips in effort to expedite the opening of the park."
Approximately 200 cubic yards of woodchips were needed to cover the bare areas in the park this year.
Greenway Specialist Kim Greendahl said she also gets comments from people wanting the dog park to be opened sooner. And as Greendahl said some people want to see a dog park on the dry side of the Greenway flood wall, there isn’t any property available.
