By Ryan Spoehr
SLN STAFF
A plan has been approved to relocate the Whitewater Bark Park.
City officials said its location in a low-lying area has plagued the local dog park, which is at 933 Commercial Ave.
“That property always has been really wet,” Parks and Recreation Director Eric Boettcher said at the Feb. 22 Whitewater Common Council meeting. “It hasn’t really been able to be used for a dog park, and it has kind of been a maintenance nightmare for the city.”
The park felt the wrath of Mother Nature as recently as late February, when heavy rain pounded Walworth and Jefferson counties. The water froze, but after it melted, piles of water were scattered throughout the park into last week.
The new location will be on a more elevated surface that has better drainage capabilities. The plan is to move the park northwest of its current spot: the northeast corner of Starin Road and Jefferson Street, which is on a hill.
“The dog park would not be quite as big, but it would definitely be more manageable,” Boettcher said.
A meeting held last fall sought input from people who take their dogs to the park and from neighborhood residents.
The plan was taken to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
“They gave us their blessing,” Boettcher said about the budgeted item.
Work on the park is expected to begin this spring.
“The plan is as soon as the ground thaws,” Boettcher said.
The council unanimously voted in favor of the new site.
