Board discusses creating new dog park

A number of items were discussed at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting in Marquette Marquette Monday night.

There discussion about the development of a new off-leash dog park south of Marquette.  The plan would be to create a park on the old landfill on Pioneer Street.  Right now, the only off-leash dog area in the city is in Tourist Park.

“(The land) does require water, you’re going to have to have trails…you do need to have trash cans and doggy bags, so it becomes another zone for maintenance,” Parks and Recreation Director Karl Zueger said.  “We’d have to cost that out and take it to the (Marquette City) Commission and have them consider it, because it would be a capital investment.”

“I’m a dog owner, and I know that I’d be more than willing to take my dog to an in-town, unleashed, dog park, because I take my dog to Little Presque Isle to run,” Parks and Recreation Advisory Board member John Kurkowski said.  “So I”m one of those people willing to take a shorter ride to get to an off-leash park.”

The advisory members also received a packet with information about a land use plan for Tourist Park.  The packet includes upgrades to both the day use and campground portion of the park.  They are planning on reviewing the material and presenting it to the Marquette City Commission sometime this summer.