Salina City Commissioners voted to allow a new public dog park to be installed.
At the City Commission Meeting on Monday, February 10th, Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hammond proposed establishing a public dog park at John Park Jr. Memorial Park on 315 N. 2nd St. Commissioners voted to award the bid of $213,000 to Ponton Construction Inc. for the installment of the dog park.
This proposal brought attention after the Salina Animal Shelter on N. 2nd St. received a series of inspections from the State of Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) that were prompted by anonymous complaints in 2023 and 2024.
The KDA thought it to be highly unusual for allowing public dogs to interact in close proximity with shelter dogs, or even be in the same space at separate times. They provided a strong recommendation to close the public dog park behind the shelter and utilize the space only for shelter dogs to limit disease transmission.
Hammond stated a dedicated dog park along with Barkley Park, would “be a benefit” to the city as it brings several qualities. The dog park would include:
- A 3 pod system (14,500 sq ft.), catered for small and large dogs
- Adequate gathering space with shelter structures
- Dog watering bowls
- 6′ black coated vinyl fence posts
- Sidewalks
- Solar LED lighting with day/night sensor for illumination
- Site amenities (benches, trash cans, waste bag dispensers, etc.)
The start date for the construction of the dog park was not announced.
