Public Hearing Set For Proposed Dog Park

March 15, 2021. On Tuesday, March 23 at 6:30pm the Watervliet City Commission will hold a special meeting at the Watervliet Fire Department. As part of the special meeting, the City will hold a public hearing on plans to submit a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Recreation Passport Grant seeking support for the installation of a dog park within Hays Park along M-140. As part of the City's 2020 Parks & Recreation Master Plan, the installation of a dog park was one of the top sought after additions to the City's Park System from surveyed residents as part of the master plan process and one of the top priorities set by the Parks & Recreation Committee.

In 2019 the City received a generous donaton of dog park equipment from Coloma Township that will be used as part of the dog park addition. The project will use roughly 1.1 acres of fenced in area and will consist of "large dog" and "small dog" areas within Hays Park. The initial project scope consists of a dog fountain, multiple sitting benches, a safe gate system to allow for safe dog entry/exit, a dog waste station, a recycling recepticle, two handicapped parking spaces, and will be fully ADA compliant.

If awarded the grant, the City would be notified in December of this year and would pay 25% of the total project cost with the MDNR grant providing the other 75%. The City Commission will hear comments on the grant application and may choose to move forward with the process during their March 23 meeting. For more information please contact Watervliet City Hall at 269-463-6769.