Work on a dog park inside City Park was well underway in late 2020, but with the pandemic shutdown, the city cinched its purse strings tight.
"We are a little slow on some projects, but we do them as we can afford to do them and use city resources as much as possible to save money," Mayor Noel Foster said.
Last week, city crews tore down a house near Parkway Drive and Anderson Avenue to provide more room for the enclosed dog park.
The mayor said he hopes tree removal inside the planned park area begins soon. The dead and dying trees will be eliminated, but the city is leaving some trees for shade.
"We have ordered the fencing for the dog park," Foster said.
The mayor said the dog park has been a while in the making.
Foster said when the project was first talked about, "The dog park has been a priority for the city council and they have asked that we get this project underway."
Most people don't realize but there is more to the design than fences, and, Foster added, "The city must be sure that the dog park is safe for the dogs and owners."
The dog park will be located next to the skate park.
Residents as well as city officials have long wanted a dog park, said Jeff May, assistant to the mayor.
May often works on special projects and is overseeing the construction of the off-leash dog park. McClelland Consulting Engineers Inc. of Little Rock completed the design plans.
The Public Works Department will tackle as much of the work as possible, such as the earth moving. It's also known as in-kind work.
In addition to about $5,000 spent on design plans, Foster said the dog park could cost as much $75,000.
A FEW FEATURES TO HOWL ABOUT
Edwin Hankins IV, McClelland landscape architect and project manager, worked on the dog park and said, a park "Is all about the dogs but it's not always all about the dogs."
McClelland designed the Sunset Lake Dog Park at Benton.
Hankins said, there's more to a dog park than a fenced-in box with an entrance and exit, including elevations relating to proper drainage along with the appropriate fences and heights, and sally port entryways and exits for safety.
Before tackling the project, May said he visited several parks in Central Arkansas and followed the construction of the one next to MacArthur Park in downtown Little Rock off East Ninth Street.
"I looked at the different features," before settling on ones like fire hydrants, covered tunnels and planks of different levels, May said.
Like the one at MacArthur Park, Hankins said the White Hall plans call for separate areas for small and large dogs on the approximately quarter-acre mostly shaded lot.
The park must also meet the needs of humans. May said the city plans on building two pavilions, one in each dog area, so visitors can sit and watch their canine friends play.
These are designed so the two can be covered in the future if the city wants, Hankins said. There will be benches as well.
Most importantly, May said, "I want a dog park that the public enjoys and wants to visit."