By GARRET JAROS/Lincoln Chronicle
WALDPORT – There is tail-wagging relief for the four-legged community and their two-legged owners with the opening of the new dog park at Louis Southworth Park.
Two-year-old Phoenix, just days into being adopted, bounded with unleashed enthusiasm last week that inevitably led to a lot of sniffing before the arrival of Sadie.
While 4-year-old Sadie had already visited the park it was the first meet-and-greet for Phoenix, who quickly stationed himself at the gate to await her entry. Once the cursory introductions — known as the backside sniff in the dog world — were out of the way the pair launched into full play mode.
Phoenix’s owner, Christy La Roche of Yachats, and Sadie’s owner, Walter Vellucci of Waldport, introduced themselves and smiled as the dogs ran back and forth.
“I had no idea the dog park was here until I saw other people and then noticed the fence,” said La Roche. “This is fabulous for the community. I think it is a much-needed resource.”
Vellucci called the new dog park “wonderful” for the community.
“Day one, when they starting putting the playground up over there, people were saying ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a dog park?’ ” Vellucci said. “And then one day the fence appeared and I went ‘Oh!’”
“And I just want to add a word to not leave your dog poop,” he added. “It’s already happened.”
The unofficial opening of the park will likely be followed at some point by an official opening and ceremonial cutting of the leash, according to city officials, but for now the city will add some finishing touches that include signs and poop-bag stations with receptacles.
Visitors should also know that at least for now the park is BYOW – as in bring your own water.
Waldport city manager Dann Cutter said crews will need to figure out where the water pipes run so that they can be tapped into “if practical” to provide water for the dog park. But he added there will be no splash pool or community water bowl.
“Open water sources create some issues with spreading disease,” Cutter said. “That was our biggest concern with opening the park. These parks are often a vector for animals to share communicable diseases. So people will need to fill their own water bowl.”
Playground and bathrooms
Now that the sun has broken the grip of winter, the community’s anticipation and sometimes frustration in waiting for the massive new playground which rises from Southworth Park like a castle of fun has reached a fevered pitch.
The long-awaited rubberized surface around the playground is being poured and is expected to be finished — weather willing — within a couple of weeks.
The city had hoped to have the 14,000-square-foot playground ready for use last fall, but temperatures need to be within certain limits to install the soft, mat-like surface.
The bad news is that the playground will not be opening after the surface is finished, said Cutter, adding that he understands the community is frustrated at the delay after watching the playground sit behind a protective fence since October.
“I think the frustrating expectation that people have, and I totally get it, is that the playground structures went up first,” Cutter said. “Many other parks do all of the rest of the work and then build the playground structure so that people don’t see the playground until the park is ready to open.”
The city did not go that route because it was able to get “fantastic pricing” and construction support from playground maker GameTime that would not have been possible had the city delayed the purchase and installation, which was aided by many community volunteers.
Once the surface is finished, the city will make it a top priority to move as quickly as possible to complete supporting projects like ground work and accessible access, Cutter said.
“That work needs to happen after the surface is finished and unfortunately it is work that is safety related and cannot be rushed,” Cutter said.
The bathrooms, the only fixed structure allowed at the park under flood zone rules set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will also be delayed.
“The biggest problem there is we were starting to work with Angell Job Corps to the masonry work for the bathrooms and the uncertainty at the federal level with Job Corps has created some concerns around that,” Cutter said. “So we are going to put some porta potties in place once the playground is open.”
And when exactly will that be?
“It will be open this summer, I just can’t say when,” Cutter said. “I really hope we get it open in July. Once we get the surfacing done things will go a little faster but there’s just so much to do.”
- Garret Jaros covers the communities of Yachats, Waldport, south Lincoln County and natural resources issues for the Lincoln Chronicle, formerly YachatsNews, and can be reached at GJaros@YachatsNews.com
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