Summer Dog Park in the works for Marquette

It’s a pet project that has dog lovers chomping at the bit. Currently, Marquette only has a dog park in the winter months. Tourist Park is open for dogs to roam free without a leash from November 1st through April 30th. A summertime dog park has enough community support for the Marquette Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to move forward. The sticking point is deciding what’s needed and not needed. But all agree the park should be fenced in and monitored for poop violations.

“It would be great if we have something like that here. Then we wouldn’t be sitting here with the dogs tangling us up under the table. They could be running loose,” said Bonnie Arkens, Marquette Dog Owner.

At a meeting last night, everyone was asked to label their top concerns. Priorities are taken into consideration to make sure the park is pet friendly and owner acceptable.

“Surprisingly the most important thing that came up was the importance of human walking trails, that the humans want to walk with their dogs and not just stand in one spot as they run off without them. Also, one of the top six that came up was the availability of swimming water for the dogs. It’s not something every city can even consider but Marquette is blessed in that we have so much available to it.

The city has pinpointed seven locations as possibilities and will now compare the criteria list with the locations, hoping a match will be found. Another public meeting for input will be scheduled in the near future, log onto the City of Marquette’s website for details to give your input at the next meeting.