BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — It's been an initiative in Bowling Green for years and all that work is finally wrapping up.
For the last two years, the local group Citizens for BG Dog Parks has been working with the city to establish a centralized dog park in the city.
It's an amenity many dog lovers in town couldn't believe wasn't already there.
"A dog park is a good place for a community to come together. For people to meet other people who enjoy dogs and get to know each other," Citizens for BG Dog Parks board member Rose Drain said. "It's a really neighborhood-friendly feeling."
At a meeting Tuesday, Bowling Green city council approved a $1 a year, three-year lease of the north portion of Ridge Park, about a block away from the historic courthouse for use as a dog park.
"A beautiful park, something that's going to have a sidewalk that goes all the way around, something for small dogs and large dogs," Jo Ascunce with Citizens for BG Dog Parks said. "So that people can go out and exercise as well as their dogs so they can be off leash and enjoy the surroundings."
Ascunce said this former school ground has not been properly used over the years and has everything they need to transform it into a park for small dogs, large dogs and their owners.
"We had a feasibility study done by some BGSU students and this seemed to fit all of the boxes that we accepted," Ascunce said.
Along with offering a location where people can walk their dogs to the park, city council was happy to bring life back to an underused park and offer a park that many other communities already have.
"I think it's really going to improve the lives of the people who live here and hopefully help us attract new residents, particularly to this area of town," Jeff Dennis, Bowling Green city council member at-large said.
With the park being maintained by the non-profit, the group BG Dog Parks is looking for more volunteers and is asking anyone interested to attend their next meeting on Saturday, May 11 at the BG First Presbyterian Church at 11 a.m.
Also, one of the first fundraisers for the new dog park will be at Arlin's Good Beer on the south side of Bowling Green on Saturday, May 18, featuring a pop-up dog park setup.
