Jade’s Dog Park could close for maintenance
BUTLER TWP — After staying open year-round for the first time, the county’s Jade’s Dog Park may close for a period of four to six weeks due to damage.
The Butler County Parks and Recreation board voted Tuesday, March 19, to recommend that the Butler County commissioners close the dog park, located off Pool Drive at Alameda Park, so park staff can perform maintenance.
No dates have been set for the potential closure, which is yet to be approved by the county commissioners.
“I know it’s not the popular choice and not the popular vote; right now we have a large dog and a small dog side,” Lance Welliver, director of county parks and recreation, said. “If we close one side, everybody’s getting on the other side.”
He said that the grass at the dog park has been “heavily, heavily used,” so the department needs to close the gates to plant more grass and fix the landscaping.
He asked the parks and rec board members for suggestions on ways the department could make the improvements while keeping the park open, but they ran into some road blocks.
Closing one side at a time would only further the problem, he said.
Welliver said that although the parks and rec board voted unanimously to close the park to perform the necessary maintenance, he is unsure of when the work would take place. The Butler County commissioners will review the board’s recommendation for final approval.
The work, Welliver said, will be weather-dependent.
While Jade’s Dog Park may close for maintenance, Welliver emphasized that dogs are allowed throughout the entirety of Alameda Park so long as they are on a leash. He also said the parks and rec department is being proactive by suggesting that repairs be made in the dog park before the land gets too damaged.
Welliver added that seeing the dog park in need of some maintenance is a good sign; it demonstrates that people and dogs are using the area.
“We’re trying to make it obviously safe and want to make improvements as needed,” Welliver said. “It’s a short-term closing to help fix a long-term issue.”
While open year-round, the dog park closed only on occasional Wednesdays for general maintenance.
