SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane Parks and Recreation Department invites the community to the reveal of the design and name of the future dog park in Riverfront Park on Saturday.
The park's design reveal came after feedback from more than 1,500 people via a survey in early April, where participants shared their thoughts on what the future dog park in Riverfront Park should look like.
The online survey included 21 multiple choice and open questions. Some questions included if people own a dog, the size of their dog, how often they visit dog parks, and what times and days they plan on visiting the future Riverfront Dog Park. The public's feedback was essential in shaping the future look and feel of the space.
Fianna Dickson works for the City of Spokane. Dickson says the plan is to bring an urban dog park to the heart of downtown Spokane that allows canines of all sizes to run free.
"We see a lot of dogs in Riverfront Park frequently, but they do have to be on a leash in City of Spokane parks unless they're in a designated off leash area," said Dickson. "So this will provide a space for the millions of people that come through Riverfront Park annually, to be able to come and let their dogs off leash and enjoy subspace."
The cost of construction for the dog park is about $750,000, which is a fundraising project of the Spokane Parks Foundation’s Campaign for Riverfront Spokane. Local design firms that partnered to create the design include the NAC Architecture and AHBL Inc.
The Spokane Humane Society is also a participant in the construction of the dog park. A reveal ceremony of the dog park and name will take place on June 18 at noon in Riverfront Park along with the Spokane Humane Society’s annual Parade of Paws, which will be celebrating its 125th anniversary of animal welfare in the community.
The dog park will be funded entirely by donations and the timeline for construction will depend upon fundraising.
Community members interested in contributing to donations to the park can make a donation to the dog park on the Spokane Parks Foundation website. All donation amounts are valued and donations $125 or more will be signified with a charm on the fence of the future dog park.
Local design firms NAC and AHBL partnered to create the design. The design is based on feedback from more than 1,500 people via a survey about their desired design features, amenities, and uses.