CA Dog Park Opening Pushed Back to Spring 2014

The Columbia Association announced Tuesday the new Columbia "DogPark" is expected to open for your furry friends in the spring of 2014.

Previously, CA anticipated opening the $135,000 dog park this fall, but due to concerns about the turf, the opening was pushed back.

"We know the community is as excited about the new dog park as we are," said Dan D'Amore, director of CA's Open Space Management Division, in a statement. "CA wants to give dogs and their people the best possible dog park, and so Columbia DogPark will be opening by spring to give time for the grounds to be in optimal condition."

"The turf might look nice on the surface, but it needs more time to mature and be firmly established so that it can withstand four-legged paw traffic," said D'Amore.

D'Amore added that other projects still need to be completed. He said gates will be installed in the next two weeks, play structures need to be painted, benches need to be installed and the parking lot needs to be striped and painted.

A humans-only tour of the new park is scheduled next month, on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon.

The park is located near Harper's Choice Middle School off of Rivendell Lane. 

Plans for the park include a 2 acre large dog area and a separate 0.7 acre small dog area. Both areas would include separate gates and water stations, while five foot high fencing would separate and surround both areas.

Once open, the park will be the second public dog park in the county. There's another one, Worthington Dog Park, in Ellicott City off of New Cut Road.