Work started this week on the first of five new dog parks that the Knox County Parks and Recreation Department will begin building thanks to a contest and grant program initiative paid for by the Boyd Family Foundation.
The organization set aside $50,000 for each park and the county will cover any remaining costs.
The new dog parks – under the terms of the agreement – must be complete within two years. That shouldn’t be a problem, though.
On Tuesday, we had a crew clear roughly two acres of wooded area near the overflow parking lot just west of the circular greenway by the pavilion at New Harvest Park.
There’s a new playground surface at Plumb Creek Park.
The new park will feature a half-acre for dogs 30 pounds and under and another acre for dogs over 30 pounds. Crews are expected to begin installing the fencing in the next month or so. The plan is to open the new dog park by spring 2021.
“We are really excited about this project because there isn’t currently a dog park in this area of the county,” Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said. “We have several out west and one in the south and all are well used. We expect the same with this park. Also, on behalf of Knox County, I would like to thank Randy and Jenny Boyd for continuing to help make Knox County the most dog-friendly community in the country.”
As it stands, the remaining new dog parks will be located at Beverly Park, the SportsPark at Karns, Powell Station Park and Clayton Park in Halls.
In other Parks and Rec news, we had crews out this week fixing the playground surfaces at Plumb Creek Park and Ball Camp Park. Also, at Ball Camp, our folks repaired the fields and helped make them more playable for a new female softball league.
Our carpenters also repaired the dugouts at Gibbs Park and repaired the gates and fencing at Concord Dog Park.
Additionally, Engineering and Public Works was busy with most of the department’s crews focused on mowing, trimming and other minor maintenance tasks.
However, they also performed:
- Headwall replacement on Peake Road
- Drainage swale grading adjustment on Gilbert Drive
- Dirty lot clean up on Alvin Lane
Public Works replaces a headwall on Peake Road.
Mike Donila is communications director for Knox County government.