The Niverville Dog Park is undergoing some significant upgrades and needed repair work this summer.
“Our park has a drainage issue, which has become more prevalent with the new multiplex nearby,” says Barry Piasta in reference to the Community Resource and Recreation Centre, which opened less than a month ago and sits directly south of the dog park. “The multiplex has a higher elevation. So snow and rain drains down into the north part of the dog park, creating a small lake that is messy and muddy for our fur friends.”
Piasta says that most of the park needs to be raised to the same level as the CRRC, which means bringing it up two feet along the west side of the park and about six inches along the east side.
Additionally, the fence surrounding the park has long been in need of replacement.
“The fence is very old and portions had already been removed to accommodate the new multiplex construction,” Piasta adds. “With the fence showing its age, it needs to be replaced.”
Large portions of the fence needed to come down anyway, he points out, to accommodate the heavy equipment that has to be brought in to raise the park’s elevation.
The work has already begun this week with the removal of the park’s equipment and pet features.
Piasta says that a small, temporary dog park area is being created for visitors to use until the full park is ready to open again.
Once the grading is complete on the park, the ground will be hydroseeded.
“Most likely the full dog park will take a year before it’s ready,” Piasta says. “That’s how long it takes for the grass to take and grow to a point that it won’t be damaged by daily use.”
The new park will also be larger, with the new fence extending approximately 100 yards to the tree line beyond the former north boundary of the park. The fence will also extend around the back of the Niverville Curling Club.
Finally, ground compost waste bins will be installed.
“The town has listened to the community’s concerns about the park and have taken on the task of doing the updates and repairs,” says Piasta.
He adds that he’ll be launching a fundraising company later this summer to raise money to add new features to the park.
The Niverville Dog Park is a one-of-a-kind park in Manitoba, with other communities, such as Winnipeg and Morris, having used it as the basis for their own parks in recent years.
“I’m sure that the Niverville Dog Park will remain the only one like it in Manitoba,” Piasta says. “It’s still a destination park for groups. The park has had groups from outside of town come with up to 50 dogs, and from the dog park they have stopped at our town businesses.”
