Sean C. Morgan
Dog owners who use dog parks to exercise their pets are experiencing some new improvements this summer at Sunnyside Park.
“I wanted to give these guys some props for following through on what we talked about,” said Sweet Home dog owner Larry Willett. “It’s kind of a feel-good story, especially during the situation we’re in.”
About three years ago, he started advocating for improvements to the facility. Those included upgrades to the entrance, an additional garbage can, additional bench seating, an additional picnic table, two bag dispensers to clean up after dogs and a water source. Previously, the park had a garbage can, a picnic table and a fence, Willett said.
“The most important thing is the water,” he said, noting it’s particularly essential in warm weather.
The water, entrance, dispensers and seating were added in the past couple of months, he said.
Water was going to be the most difficult thing, Willett said.
That hurdle proved not to be as tough as those involved expected.
“It wasn’t as bad as we thought it was,” said Lonny Wunder, recreation supervisor with Linn County Parks and Recreation.
The area in which the dog park is located used to be a quarry for use in the construction of the local dams, Wunder said.
When Willett approached the county about doing the improvements, “we got a shopping cart of what we wanted to do,” Wunder said. “It takes a few years and a willing ranger that has time.”
Foster Lake Park Ranger Blake Nightingale said it was a team effort. Supervisors had to approve purchases, and the staff needed to collect input from the public, people like Willett.
Use of the park depends on the weather and time of year, Nightingale said. Currently, as many as a couple dozen people and their dogs use it daily. During the summer, it’s used by hundreds.
At Sunnyside, the boat ramp and the dog park are open for day use right now. Camping remains closed.
Willett noted that the City of Sweet Home still does not have a dog park, for which he’s also advocating.