Friends of the Dog Park - 2015 Year End Report
As 2016 begins, we would like to update you on activities and progress in 2015. Most importantly, Hannah’s Bark Park has been open to the public since mid-July, when we had a Grand Opening Celebration. As of early December, we had greater than 200 members and a pattern of new members joining each month.
Our great success in opening the park was a 3 way cooperative project with the City of Mt. Pleasant, Union Township and Friends of the Dog Park. We were able to receive and accept a bid for construction of Hannah’s Bark Park in 2015, which was slightly under the total monies available for Phase I construction. Denali construction, with the winning bid, began construction in early spring, and completed the park in early June. We were able to complete the grass seeding, and have viable turf when the park opened.
The Friends of the Dog Park has continued to enhance the park because of community donations. Water fountains have been added to the small and large dog park side, and the dogs have loved these. We noticed a lot of wear and deterioration on the areas around the benches, so we added stone dust and landscaped around the benches. The pavilion was competed, and now provides shelter in rainy days and proudly displays a sign with our founding contributors. We had several more benches donated and have a new tree growing in the park. All of these enhancements were possible from donations by businesses and citizens in our community. In total the Friends of the Dog Park was able to authorize over $20,000 for improvements beyond the initial Phase I construction plan.
Hannah’s Bark Park required many volunteer hours prior to opening-all donated by community members. Several hundred hours of work were donated to stain the pavilion, seed the turf and prepare the turf for seeding. Kevin Clare Logging and Bandit Industries had cleared much of the brush and land for the park, but “mountains” of sticks were left or partially buried in the turf. Kudos to the volunteers that picked up sticks and chopped debris. Our park is a testament to the good deeds of our community! Thank you all who volunteered your time. Over $80,000 in cash and donated services were provided to this project by Friends of the Dog Park.
In December, the Friends of the Dog Park thanked john Dinse for his years of service as President of Friends of the Dog Park. John provided steady and wise leadership and we are pleased he is willing to remain on the Board. Thank you John for your service-our community is better because of you. New officers include John Scalise in the President role, with Eric Gaw as Vice President, and Ken Hofmeister as Treasurer. Our Board members work behind the scenes to maintain and enhance the park, develop education for dog owners regarding park and dog behavior, and deserve credit for their efforts. Thank you.
For 2016, the Friends of the Dog Park would like to add several new board members. If you are interested in serving on the board, please contact one of the current board members.
There is an Advisory Board for Hannah’s Dog Park which meets regularly to provide feedback to the City, Township and Friends of the Dog Park. This City Board welcomes suggestions and feedback; community members can share concerns with the City Parks and Rec Department about Hannah’s Bark Park.
We will continue to provide improvements to Hannah’s Bark Park as needs arise and money is available. We are evaluating this first year of use to determine what members and park users value and welcome feedback. Please continue to support this wonderful asset for the community.
See selected photos from 2015 below:
Our great success in opening the park was a 3 way cooperative project with the City of Mt. Pleasant, Union Township and Friends of the Dog Park. We were able to receive and accept a bid for construction of Hannah’s Bark Park in 2015, which was slightly under the total monies available for Phase I construction. Denali construction, with the winning bid, began construction in early spring, and completed the park in early June. We were able to complete the grass seeding, and have viable turf when the park opened.
The Friends of the Dog Park has continued to enhance the park because of community donations. Water fountains have been added to the small and large dog park side, and the dogs have loved these. We noticed a lot of wear and deterioration on the areas around the benches, so we added stone dust and landscaped around the benches. The pavilion was competed, and now provides shelter in rainy days and proudly displays a sign with our founding contributors. We had several more benches donated and have a new tree growing in the park. All of these enhancements were possible from donations by businesses and citizens in our community. In total the Friends of the Dog Park was able to authorize over $20,000 for improvements beyond the initial Phase I construction plan.
Hannah’s Bark Park required many volunteer hours prior to opening-all donated by community members. Several hundred hours of work were donated to stain the pavilion, seed the turf and prepare the turf for seeding. Kevin Clare Logging and Bandit Industries had cleared much of the brush and land for the park, but “mountains” of sticks were left or partially buried in the turf. Kudos to the volunteers that picked up sticks and chopped debris. Our park is a testament to the good deeds of our community! Thank you all who volunteered your time. Over $80,000 in cash and donated services were provided to this project by Friends of the Dog Park.
In December, the Friends of the Dog Park thanked john Dinse for his years of service as President of Friends of the Dog Park. John provided steady and wise leadership and we are pleased he is willing to remain on the Board. Thank you John for your service-our community is better because of you. New officers include John Scalise in the President role, with Eric Gaw as Vice President, and Ken Hofmeister as Treasurer. Our Board members work behind the scenes to maintain and enhance the park, develop education for dog owners regarding park and dog behavior, and deserve credit for their efforts. Thank you.
For 2016, the Friends of the Dog Park would like to add several new board members. If you are interested in serving on the board, please contact one of the current board members.
There is an Advisory Board for Hannah’s Dog Park which meets regularly to provide feedback to the City, Township and Friends of the Dog Park. This City Board welcomes suggestions and feedback; community members can share concerns with the City Parks and Rec Department about Hannah’s Bark Park.
We will continue to provide improvements to Hannah’s Bark Park as needs arise and money is available. We are evaluating this first year of use to determine what members and park users value and welcome feedback. Please continue to support this wonderful asset for the community.
See selected photos from 2015 below:
Click here to see: Membership Packets for Hannah's Bark Park
RAKING IS DONE! >>>Progress is great, construction done soon.... need Volunteers to clear the surface of the wood chips so we can final seed the park
VOLUNTEERS TO CLEAR HANNAH'S DOG PARK OF SURFACE WOOD CHIPS
OK, here's the plan, a number of people will be at the park from 4~7 pm today, May 14th; please join them if you can. It took about 5 hours to clear the .1 acres in the photo above. You can use it as a guide as to what we want the other 2 acres that need clearing to look like. Garden rakes, leaf rakes and pitchforks work best.
Come join us today or this weekend, whenever the weather cooperates, we can use the help. We need 120~150 volunteer hours to finish this job.
Tentatively the schedule is (not a thunderstorm, light mist not an issue, the ground is in good condition)
Friday - 4~7 pm
Saturday - 9~12 Noon and 4~7pm
Sunday - 9~12 Noon and 4~7 pm Note: if the weather breaks at another time, just show up then.
Remember, all we need is a little help from a lot of people and we can get the final seeding done while the moisture level is ideal. Time is of the essence......... Invite family, friends and doubters to help realize what a treasure this park is going to be for the community.
OK, here's the plan, a number of people will be at the park from 4~7 pm today, May 14th; please join them if you can. It took about 5 hours to clear the .1 acres in the photo above. You can use it as a guide as to what we want the other 2 acres that need clearing to look like. Garden rakes, leaf rakes and pitchforks work best.
Come join us today or this weekend, whenever the weather cooperates, we can use the help. We need 120~150 volunteer hours to finish this job.
Tentatively the schedule is (not a thunderstorm, light mist not an issue, the ground is in good condition)
Friday - 4~7 pm
Saturday - 9~12 Noon and 4~7pm
Sunday - 9~12 Noon and 4~7 pm Note: if the weather breaks at another time, just show up then.
Remember, all we need is a little help from a lot of people and we can get the final seeding done while the moisture level is ideal. Time is of the essence......... Invite family, friends and doubters to help realize what a treasure this park is going to be for the community.
Construction is underway!!!!
Construction has begun on Hannah's Bark Park. The water infrastructure and electricity is already in place and the entrance area is graded and ready for the cement work and fencing to begin.
We expect the park construction and seeding to be done by about mid-May and expect to have the park open to the public by July (depends on the rate of growth of the turf).
Phase I money is in the bank. We would still love to receive additional donations for post Phase I needs for the park. Go to:
http://www.mpdogpark.org/donate.html to donate at any level. Every donation helps. Also continue to the http://www.mpdogpark.org/donate---naming-opportunities.html or http://www.mpdogpark.org/donate---adopt-a-bench-or-tree.html pages for additional ways to help us.
Construction has begun on Hannah's Bark Park. The water infrastructure and electricity is already in place and the entrance area is graded and ready for the cement work and fencing to begin.
We expect the park construction and seeding to be done by about mid-May and expect to have the park open to the public by July (depends on the rate of growth of the turf).
Phase I money is in the bank. We would still love to receive additional donations for post Phase I needs for the park. Go to:
http://www.mpdogpark.org/donate.html to donate at any level. Every donation helps. Also continue to the http://www.mpdogpark.org/donate---naming-opportunities.html or http://www.mpdogpark.org/donate---adopt-a-bench-or-tree.html pages for additional ways to help us.
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Click this link to sign into Amazon Smile and .5% of your spending will be donated directly to Friends of the Dog Park.
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One More Way to Help Friends of the Dog Park
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Mt. Pleasant Approves Contract for Dog Park Construction
By Randi Shaffer, The Morning Sun
POSTED: 03/01/15, 10:34 PM EST |
The city of Mt. Pleasant has approved a contract that will enable construction on the long-awaited dog park to begin this spring. Commissioners unanimously approved Monday night a $97,450 bid to Denali Construction that would cover all of the elements of the functional design, which was agreed upon by not only the city, but also Union Township and the local 501(c)3, Friends of the Dog Park.All three entities are splitting the cost of the park, to be named Hannah’s Bark Park, evenly.
“I’d just like to congratulate the Friends of the Dog Park on this,” Commissioner Matt Sous said.
The city sent the project out for bid several months ago, but the quoted prices were too high, leading the city to make the executive decision on holding off for the time being. In the mean time, Friends of the Dog Park worked to have some of the work done through volunteer efforts, such as brush and tree clearing done by Bandit Industries. This lowered the overall cost of the project, Ridley said.
The overall bid awarded to Denali construction was low enough that the city will also be ale to purchase trash receptacles and dog waste bag dispensers as well. Ling said she was proud of the unique system the three entities were able to put in place, considering the general public’s discouragement several years ago.
Upon completion of the project, the city will send a bill to both Friends of the Dog Park and Union Township, so the city will be reimbursed for two-thirds of the project’s cost.
POSTED: 03/01/15, 10:34 PM EST |
The city of Mt. Pleasant has approved a contract that will enable construction on the long-awaited dog park to begin this spring. Commissioners unanimously approved Monday night a $97,450 bid to Denali Construction that would cover all of the elements of the functional design, which was agreed upon by not only the city, but also Union Township and the local 501(c)3, Friends of the Dog Park.All three entities are splitting the cost of the park, to be named Hannah’s Bark Park, evenly.
“I’d just like to congratulate the Friends of the Dog Park on this,” Commissioner Matt Sous said.
The overall bid awarded to Denali construction was low enough that the city will also be ale to purchase trash receptacles and dog waste bag dispensers as well. Ling said she was proud of the unique system the three entities were able to put in place, considering the general public’s discouragement several years ago.
Upon completion of the project, the city will send a bill to both Friends of the Dog Park and Union Township, so the city will be reimbursed for two-thirds of the project’s cost.
Friends of the Dog Park Community Service Awards
Bandit Industries Inc. and Kevin Clare Logging Inc. were recently awarded the first ever Community Service Awards from the Friends of the Dog Park.
Friends of the Dog Park (FDP) met their capital campaign goals and in cooperation with the City of Mt. Pleasant and Union Township, requested bids for the park in August. Those bids came in about $60,000 over the money available. This fall, FDP was successful in recruiting Bandit Industries, Inc. and Kevin Clare Logging, Inc. to donate equipment and services to the dog park to clear the dead and excess trees, grind all the stumps and use a forestry mower and a mulcher to eliminate the brush. That, plus some services from the City of Mt. Pleasant allowed us to avoid $40~50,000 of the cost to develop the park, and positioned the project much more favorably for the next round of bids.
Bandit Industries Inc. and Kevin Clare Logging Inc. were recently awarded the first ever Community Service Awards from the Friends of the Dog Park.
Friends of the Dog Park (FDP) met their capital campaign goals and in cooperation with the City of Mt. Pleasant and Union Township, requested bids for the park in August. Those bids came in about $60,000 over the money available. This fall, FDP was successful in recruiting Bandit Industries, Inc. and Kevin Clare Logging, Inc. to donate equipment and services to the dog park to clear the dead and excess trees, grind all the stumps and use a forestry mower and a mulcher to eliminate the brush. That, plus some services from the City of Mt. Pleasant allowed us to avoid $40~50,000 of the cost to develop the park, and positioned the project much more favorably for the next round of bids.
Left to Right – Ken Hofmeister (FDP), Kevin Clare (Kevin Clare Logging, Inc.) , Jerry Morey (Bandit Industries, Inc.) and John Dinse (FDP).
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Friends of the Dog Park Community Service Awards to Kevin Clare of Kevin Clare Logging Inc. and to Jerry and Mike (not pictured) Morey of Bandit Industries Inc.
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Seeded on December 2, 2014
Friends of the Dog Park - Year End Report
We had hopes of opening Hannah's Bark Park this fall, but it was not to be. But, we did make a huge step forward this fall, read on......
In October 2014, we received bids from contractors that exceeded our budget by over $60,000. This fall we worked with Bandit Industries, Inc., Kevin Clare Logging, Inc., and the City of Mt. Pleasant to clear and seed the 3.5 acre park designated for Hannah's Bark Park, thus eliminating $40~50,000 of the original bid cost. The City will request new bids for the remaining portions of the basic functional dog park, designated as Phase I, early next year.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring and the dog park will be open to the public in late spring once the seeding has established. Current Phase I funds will allow us to put up the fencing, the entry system and do the parking lot improvements needed.
After Phase I, we have two other key priorities, water for the large and small dog parks and a pavilion. We are offering these to the public as naming opportunities. We also would like to add benches and tree protection to the dog park as soon as possible after Phase I. Click the links below to read about these programs.
1) Donate for a Naming Opportunity at Hannah's Bark Park.
2) Adopt-A Bench or Tree Protection and have a commemorative plaque placed on the donated item(s).
Of course, as always, donations of any amount on our Donation Page will be recognized and now will go toward one of the after Phase I priorities listed above.
We ask for your continued support of Friends of the Dog Park; we will have a dog park in Mt. Pleasant and Hannah's Bark Park will be a great one!
We had hopes of opening Hannah's Bark Park this fall, but it was not to be. But, we did make a huge step forward this fall, read on......
In October 2014, we received bids from contractors that exceeded our budget by over $60,000. This fall we worked with Bandit Industries, Inc., Kevin Clare Logging, Inc., and the City of Mt. Pleasant to clear and seed the 3.5 acre park designated for Hannah's Bark Park, thus eliminating $40~50,000 of the original bid cost. The City will request new bids for the remaining portions of the basic functional dog park, designated as Phase I, early next year.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring and the dog park will be open to the public in late spring once the seeding has established. Current Phase I funds will allow us to put up the fencing, the entry system and do the parking lot improvements needed.
After Phase I, we have two other key priorities, water for the large and small dog parks and a pavilion. We are offering these to the public as naming opportunities. We also would like to add benches and tree protection to the dog park as soon as possible after Phase I. Click the links below to read about these programs.
1) Donate for a Naming Opportunity at Hannah's Bark Park.
2) Adopt-A Bench or Tree Protection and have a commemorative plaque placed on the donated item(s).
Of course, as always, donations of any amount on our Donation Page will be recognized and now will go toward one of the after Phase I priorities listed above.
We ask for your continued support of Friends of the Dog Park; we will have a dog park in Mt. Pleasant and Hannah's Bark Park will be a great one!
The journey begins with ...................
In this case, the journey begins with Bandit Industries, Inc., and Kevin Clare Logging, Inc. In August, a bid was issued for dog park construction. When the bids came back, they were $60,000 over the budgeted amount. What to do? We made the decision to re-bid the park in January, hopefully when contractors are looking for work at the beginning of the construction season and are willing to provide better costs for the dog park. In the meantime, the Friends of the Dog Park went looking for local businesses that might help us get a head start on the process this fall.
The park had about 2 acres of heavy brush, dead or dying trees or trees too close together to thrive. It was impossible to walk through many areas of the proposed Hannah's Bark Park. This is where we approached Mike and Jerry Morey of Bandit Industries and Kevin Clare of Kevin Clare Logging. They agreed to donate time and equipment to the cause. The City of Mt. Pleasant Parks and Public Spaces department also is providing major services to get the park seeded yet in 2014. The story that follows now puts us in a position to re-bid the rest of the dog park in early 2015.
Read on to get the rest of the story about this wonderful donation of time and equipment by these groups during the month of November. Click Here to see the "Thank-you" ad that will appear in Sunday's edition of the Morning Sun.
In this case, the journey begins with Bandit Industries, Inc., and Kevin Clare Logging, Inc. In August, a bid was issued for dog park construction. When the bids came back, they were $60,000 over the budgeted amount. What to do? We made the decision to re-bid the park in January, hopefully when contractors are looking for work at the beginning of the construction season and are willing to provide better costs for the dog park. In the meantime, the Friends of the Dog Park went looking for local businesses that might help us get a head start on the process this fall.
The park had about 2 acres of heavy brush, dead or dying trees or trees too close together to thrive. It was impossible to walk through many areas of the proposed Hannah's Bark Park. This is where we approached Mike and Jerry Morey of Bandit Industries and Kevin Clare of Kevin Clare Logging. They agreed to donate time and equipment to the cause. The City of Mt. Pleasant Parks and Public Spaces department also is providing major services to get the park seeded yet in 2014. The story that follows now puts us in a position to re-bid the rest of the dog park in early 2015.
Read on to get the rest of the story about this wonderful donation of time and equipment by these groups during the month of November. Click Here to see the "Thank-you" ad that will appear in Sunday's edition of the Morning Sun.
Current StatusThe capital campaign was completed in April, 2014. The City of Mt. Pleasant and Union Township each agreed to contribute and equal amount to the construction of Hannah's Bark Park. The City of Mt. Pleasant will issue a re-bid for the park in early 2015 now that the park is free of excess trees and brush.
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Mt. Pleasant
Dog Park Design Phase 1 of our Community Wide Off Leash Dog Park |
The Mt. Pleasant Dog Park's location is at Mission Creek Park on Crawford Road . This three-acre off leash park will offer residents and their canine friends a place to have fun, socialize and exercise. The park will be fully fenced and include separate areas for large and small dogs and will have a safe double-gated entry system.
