FDP Update - June 14, 2015 - JOIN our Founding Donors List now, park will open in July once turf is established
The final seeding is done on the park; drinking fountains, final fencing, benches, doggy bag stations and other details will be added in the month of June. As soon as the grass has established enough, the dog park will be open to the public.
We are in the process of preparing donor plaques for the park including all Founding Donors. Anyone that has donated prior to June 25th, 2015 and is listed on the FDP Donor's List will be included. If you have donated, please check this list for accuracy. Contact us at [email protected] if your name is not correct or is missing.
We must receive your donation before June 25, 2015. Click the Donate Button to become a Founding Donor.
We are in the process of preparing donor plaques for the park including all Founding Donors. Anyone that has donated prior to June 25th, 2015 and is listed on the FDP Donor's List will be included. If you have donated, please check this list for accuracy. Contact us at [email protected] if your name is not correct or is missing.
We must receive your donation before June 25, 2015. Click the Donate Button to become a Founding Donor.
FDP Update: August 26th, 2014
As reported by Randi Shaffer in the Morning Sun on August 24th ----
[Ridley said city staff will also give commissioners and the public an update on the dog park. Bids have come back, Ridley said, and because most excavators are already booked for the season, the city did not have many options for awarding a contract.
“The bids ended up coming in $60,000 over budget,” she explained. “We won’t have any construction of the dog park this year.” Ridley said the city will wait until January to rebid for next summer, and while it will delay the project, it will also result in a savings for the city, Union Township and Friends of the Dog Park.
“Although everybody’s disappointed, everybody agrees that’s the best route to go,” Ridley said.]
In the meantime, the Friends of the Dog Park will work with the City and Union Township to prepare for rebid by looking at potential cost savings ideas and start cleaning up the park site.
As reported by Randi Shaffer in the Morning Sun on August 24th ----
[Ridley said city staff will also give commissioners and the public an update on the dog park. Bids have come back, Ridley said, and because most excavators are already booked for the season, the city did not have many options for awarding a contract.
“The bids ended up coming in $60,000 over budget,” she explained. “We won’t have any construction of the dog park this year.” Ridley said the city will wait until January to rebid for next summer, and while it will delay the project, it will also result in a savings for the city, Union Township and Friends of the Dog Park.
“Although everybody’s disappointed, everybody agrees that’s the best route to go,” Ridley said.]
In the meantime, the Friends of the Dog Park will work with the City and Union Township to prepare for rebid by looking at potential cost savings ideas and start cleaning up the park site.
Union Township gives approval to dog park plans, Mt. Pleasant contracts for engineering services
By Randi Shaffer, The Morning Sun
POSTED: 05/17/14, 4:56 PM EDT
The final piece of the puzzle is in place and Mt. Pleasant will move forward with the Mission Creek dog park plans after Union Township gave approval of the plans at its Wednesday night meeting.
Union Township Supervisor Russ Alwood said commissioners agreed upon parameters set by the city of Mt. Pleasant earlier this month regarding the specifics of the project.
“I think it’s needed,” Alwood said. “Both master plans had it in there that people wanted a dog park. It just took the effort of coming together and working with the city.”
Alwood said the only concern trustees had was how maintenance costs would be divided up, but Alwood is almost certain that park membership fees will cover most of the upkeep.
At its Monday night meeting, commissioners approved the awarding of a $13,900 contract to Rowe Professional Services for engineering services.
The total budget of $117,600 included somewhere between $14,000 and $15,000 to be used for engineering, Interim City Manager Nancy Ridley said, so the project is well within budget taking off.
Ridley had said Monday that the contract would be signed as soon as Union Township agreed to the parameters Wednesday night.
If total cost estimates are presented at the initial estimate given by Rowe Consulting of $117,600, or below, the city will award contracts and complete construction.
If the project will cost more than the estimated amount, the three entities will meet to discuss how to best proceed.
The parameters state that each of the three parties will contribute $39,200 toward the park cost. The city will provide the land at Mission Creek Park at no cost to any entity, and the city will contract for the final engineering of the previously endorsed “functional” design- a basic park that will be able to undergo upgrades at a later date if needed or wanted.
Alwood said he is excited to see how the installation of a dog park will improve Mission Creek Park.
By Randi Shaffer, The Morning Sun
POSTED: 05/17/14, 4:56 PM EDT
The final piece of the puzzle is in place and Mt. Pleasant will move forward with the Mission Creek dog park plans after Union Township gave approval of the plans at its Wednesday night meeting.
Union Township Supervisor Russ Alwood said commissioners agreed upon parameters set by the city of Mt. Pleasant earlier this month regarding the specifics of the project.
“I think it’s needed,” Alwood said. “Both master plans had it in there that people wanted a dog park. It just took the effort of coming together and working with the city.”
Alwood said the only concern trustees had was how maintenance costs would be divided up, but Alwood is almost certain that park membership fees will cover most of the upkeep.
At its Monday night meeting, commissioners approved the awarding of a $13,900 contract to Rowe Professional Services for engineering services.
The total budget of $117,600 included somewhere between $14,000 and $15,000 to be used for engineering, Interim City Manager Nancy Ridley said, so the project is well within budget taking off.
Ridley had said Monday that the contract would be signed as soon as Union Township agreed to the parameters Wednesday night.
If total cost estimates are presented at the initial estimate given by Rowe Consulting of $117,600, or below, the city will award contracts and complete construction.
If the project will cost more than the estimated amount, the three entities will meet to discuss how to best proceed.
The parameters state that each of the three parties will contribute $39,200 toward the park cost. The city will provide the land at Mission Creek Park at no cost to any entity, and the city will contract for the final engineering of the previously endorsed “functional” design- a basic park that will be able to undergo upgrades at a later date if needed or wanted.
Alwood said he is excited to see how the installation of a dog park will improve Mission Creek Park.
CM Life Article - March 20, 2014
"Life off the leash: Future dog park commemorates deceased student" http://www.cm-life.com/2014/03/20/life-off-the-leash-future-dog-park-commemorates-deceased-student/
"Life off the leash: Future dog park commemorates deceased student" http://www.cm-life.com/2014/03/20/life-off-the-leash-future-dog-park-commemorates-deceased-student/
Fundraiser Challenge Project
Friends of the Dog Park is pleased to announce we have received and accepted an offer of help from 4 CMU classes in journalism and public relations taught by Tracy Burton to publicize four of our upcoming restaurant fundraisers for Friends of the Dog Park:
March 26th - at Pixie
April 3rd - at Bennigan's
April 24th - at La Senorita
May 1st - at Italian Oven
Each class will have a project, with one of the events, to find ways to bring more residents to the restaurants with the flyer (necessary to have 20% of the meal proceeds donated to the Friends of the Dog Park). One of the journalism classes and one of the public relations classes will be selected as winners based on performance.
Friends of the Dog Park is pleased to announce we have received and accepted an offer of help from 4 CMU classes in journalism and public relations taught by Tracy Burton to publicize four of our upcoming restaurant fundraisers for Friends of the Dog Park:
March 26th - at Pixie
April 3rd - at Bennigan's
April 24th - at La Senorita
May 1st - at Italian Oven
Each class will have a project, with one of the events, to find ways to bring more residents to the restaurants with the flyer (necessary to have 20% of the meal proceeds donated to the Friends of the Dog Park). One of the journalism classes and one of the public relations classes will be selected as winners based on performance.
Capital Campaign Underway
February 10, 2014 - The Friends of the Dog Park board has been busy organizing a capital campaign and putting a structure in place to inform the public about progress on the project. We are well on our way to the goal of kicking off the construction phase with more than half of the needed funds to meet the Friends of the Dog Park commitment of $39,188. Please keep informed of progress by visiting this site and our Facebook page - facebook.com/mpdogpark.
We've added two new pages to the site - FDP Donors and the FDP Board members. We have started the If I had a dog park... contest which runs thru March 31st. And we will now update and offer opportunities for you to help build the dog park on our Events Page. Please enjoy, have some fun by attending our fundraiser events and contribute if you can.
We've added two new pages to the site - FDP Donors and the FDP Board members. We have started the If I had a dog park... contest which runs thru March 31st. And we will now update and offer opportunities for you to help build the dog park on our Events Page. Please enjoy, have some fun by attending our fundraiser events and contribute if you can.
We Are On Our Way!!!!
In October, 2013, the City of Mount Pleasant, the Charter Township of Union, and the Friends of the Dog Park, each voted to approve the functional design option for the dog park at Mission Creek Park. This option merges a basic design provided by the Friends of the Dog Park, and the more expensive option originally created by Rowe Engineering (See below for the original design drawing and the amenities that will be included in the Functional Design).
The total cost to build the park is $117,563, which will be split three ways, with each entity committing $39,188 to the project.
The Friends of the Dog Park has kicked off our Capital Fundraising Campaign in an effort to begin construction in the spring of 2014. Your help is needed if we are going to reach this goal. Please visit our donations page to learn more about our campaign and make a donation to make the dog park a reality.
Summer 2013
Friends of the Dog Park is a volunteer group formed to help with initiation, development and maintenance of a community dog park in Isabella County. The project was initiated through HATS, because many people had approached the animal shelter about the benefits of a dog park for the community. The Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation conducted a large community survey about interest in a dog park, and found overwhelming support.
Friends of the Dog Park began studying existing dog parks and reviewing available resources that provided education about dog park development. Based on those resources, a list of location attributes were generated and we reviewed many proposed sites around the county, rating each one on issues such as location, water source, ability to tolerate noise, parking potential, and animal safety. Several clear choices emerged and Mission Creek Park was the area most strongly favored.
Union Township and City of Mt. Pleasant both seek to have a community dog park as part of their master plan. The Township and City funded an engineering study to assess feasibility of the project at Mission Creek, and a design was developed by Rowe Engineering. Multiple meetings have occurred with the Township, City personnel and Friends of the Dog Park to develop a design, incorporate input, and move towards having community input into the design of the dog park.
When a final design is generated, and funding estimates are made, Friends of the Dog Park will approach the Union Township and the City of Mt. Pleasant to evaluate funding sources and hopefully begin the development of the dog park. The is to develop a dog park in phases with the first phase being a basic park where dogs can safely run off leash in a fenced-in area. Enhancements to the park such as specialized equipment, shade pavilions and such will likely come through fundraising.
Friends of the Dog Park has already made good progress in fund raising and anticipate substantially contributing to the park development. Once developed, Friends of the Dog Park will remain an active organization to continue fundraising for future development, to serve as a forum for support of the dog park, and maintain volunteer help for park maintenance. A community dog park will be most successful with many community volunteers and supporters, and we welcome your interest and hope you will volunteer.
Friends of the Dog Park is a 501(c)3 tax exempt, non profit organization. We invite you to join us in support of a community dog park and make a tax-deductible donation today!
Friends of the Dog Park began studying existing dog parks and reviewing available resources that provided education about dog park development. Based on those resources, a list of location attributes were generated and we reviewed many proposed sites around the county, rating each one on issues such as location, water source, ability to tolerate noise, parking potential, and animal safety. Several clear choices emerged and Mission Creek Park was the area most strongly favored.
Union Township and City of Mt. Pleasant both seek to have a community dog park as part of their master plan. The Township and City funded an engineering study to assess feasibility of the project at Mission Creek, and a design was developed by Rowe Engineering. Multiple meetings have occurred with the Township, City personnel and Friends of the Dog Park to develop a design, incorporate input, and move towards having community input into the design of the dog park.
When a final design is generated, and funding estimates are made, Friends of the Dog Park will approach the Union Township and the City of Mt. Pleasant to evaluate funding sources and hopefully begin the development of the dog park. The is to develop a dog park in phases with the first phase being a basic park where dogs can safely run off leash in a fenced-in area. Enhancements to the park such as specialized equipment, shade pavilions and such will likely come through fundraising.
Friends of the Dog Park has already made good progress in fund raising and anticipate substantially contributing to the park development. Once developed, Friends of the Dog Park will remain an active organization to continue fundraising for future development, to serve as a forum for support of the dog park, and maintain volunteer help for park maintenance. A community dog park will be most successful with many community volunteers and supporters, and we welcome your interest and hope you will volunteer.
Friends of the Dog Park is a 501(c)3 tax exempt, non profit organization. We invite you to join us in support of a community dog park and make a tax-deductible donation today!