New Dog Park at Parker Park Nears Completion, Barkley Park Improvements Underway

The City of Salina's Parks and Recreation Department reported significant progress on two dog park projects during the recent commission meeting.

The dog park at Parker Park has reached substantial completion and is expected to open to the public before the weekend, according to Parks and Recreation officials. While some finishing touches remain, the park is already being used by local residents and their pets.

"We've substantially completed that. It should be open to the public," said a department representative during the meeting. "We're trying to get it notified to the public that it is open before the weekend."

Several minor items still need to be addressed at the Parker Park location, including installation of benches, signage for rules, dog waste dispensers, trash cans, and filling in some soil for holes. Officials noted that the water line for the drinking fountain and dog bowl has been activated after a plumber completed the final connections on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, improvements to the existing Barkley Park dog park are progressing well. The concrete work has been completed, and the project is now awaiting the delivery of shelter houses, which have an estimated 16-week lead time.

"The concrete's been poured. We're waiting another about 12 weeks. There's a 16-week lead time for the shelter houses that we ordered," officials reported.

The Barkley Park project includes improvements to three sections that will receive shelter houses. Additionally, a fourth section has been added to the park. While this new section will not immediately have a shelter house, the concrete slab has been installed to accommodate a future structure when funding becomes available. Water lines for a dog bowl in the fourth section have been installed, and fencing is in place.

Both projects are being completed by the same contractor, who will move on to other concrete improvement projects in various parks once the dog park work is finished.

The dog park developments are part of several ongoing park improvement projects throughout Salina, including sand volleyball courts at Jerry Ivey Park, median landscaping on 9th Street, and concrete work for sidewalks and parking pads in various parks.