"Dogs make life better. Parks make life better," intoned Mayor Amy Howorth, describing the new run as "a safe area for dogs to exercise and socialize off-leash.”

"The improvements that we’ve made," Howorth said, "are going to bring joy for a long time."

Public Works Director Erick Lee explained all that went into the upgrades, which expanded the park area by 1350 square feet:

• 18 cubic yards of new decomposed granite
• 70 yards of playsafe wood chips
• 2 yards of concrete pads to improve the durability of the high traffic areas
• 200 linear feet of treated lumber
• Upgraded fencing
• LED lighting 
• New irrigation system
• New drinking fountain that services both dogs and owners
• New "dog bone" benches
• 7 tons of asphalt
• Refreshed striping in the parking lot for ADA parking spaces
• 5 new Tipu trees, which Lee pledged would provide "a wonderful shade canopy" in a few years – though they're small now

"The improvements we made here are substantial," Lee said, "and are designed specifically to enhance the experience of both our four-legged friends and their owners."

Lee credited the entire Public Works team, which handled the project in-house for a fraction of the budget original proposed by an outside firm. (The city had received an original design that was projected to cost $324,000, but with community input, city staff proposed to simplify the design and have the work done in-house to keep the cost under $50,000, which City Council approved early this year.) 

• Field operations
• Street maintenance
• Park maintenance
• Urban forester
• Utilities division
• Water crew

Parks & Recreation director Mark Leyman also credited Lee Barr, a local resident who "passionately shared a vision that reflects the community's input and reduced the overall project costs significantly." 

Local pups appeared to approve.