By Richard Dyer
Twitter: @RHDyer

The off-leash dog park to be constructed at the Pinal County complex will include artworks and may have solar lighting, the Apache Junction Parks and Recreation Commission was told recently.

The 2.6-acre dog park will be in a retention area on the southeast corner of Superstition Boulevard and Idaho Road. Funding for the estimated $800,000 to $1 million park are to come from development fees, grants and gifts, corporate partnerships and fundraising events.

The City Council last year approved a $57,383 contract with J2 Engineering and Environmental Design LLC plus an additional 10% contingency for unforeseen change orders for a total amount of $63,121.30 for the dog park's design.

The J2 design is at 60% completion, Liz Langenbach, director of the Apache Junction Parks and Recreation Department, said to the parks commission.

“We’re really happy to be in our design phase. It has taken a little bit longer than a typical design phase just because of the COVID situation and meeting and getting some of the details. It took a little while to get there,” she said at the commission’s Sept. 2 meeting.

There are four main elements being worked on to prepare for the 90% design drawings --- drainage, fencing, lighting and artwork, Ms. Langenbach said.

“The first one — and the most important — is drainage. So that’s the one area we’ve all known all along. This is our two-for-one deal; we’re getting a dog park and we’re fixing a major drainage and retention area problem that we’ve had for over 20 years,” she said. “(T)he goals there was to have a maximum capacity and efficiency or drainage so that it’s draining at the rate that we need it to — not water sitting there like it currently does — and then we need to tie that with the ease of maintenance,” she said.

Chair Wayne Standage Jr. said he liked the plans for drainage.

“It doesn’t matter what we try if there is such a deluge it’s still going to go down into the parks ... And I have no problems with that,” he said.

The design team looked at fencing used in other dog parks throughout the state, Ms. Langenbach said.

“The Omega fence was selected because it’s super durable, it does have a powder-coat finish on top of it... The other reason why this was selected is because it kind of blends into the environment, so it’s not that real institutionalized wrought-iron fencing that looks like you can’t be there and it’s not chain-link fence,” she said. “We wanted it to be high quality. This is our first one and we don’t want to just throw up some fencing and things like that. It is more on the costly end, but it’s definitely something that is going to survive over time — we won’t be replacing it as frequently as we would for other types of applications.”

A possibility for solar?

Solar lighting has been proposed for installation at the park, but it is not budgeted, Ms. Langenbach said.

“It is a great opportunity for a green infrastructure-type of application. It’s not a ball field that needs really high level of lighting. There definitely is a need for lighting and all of that,” she said. “We’re not using general fund money for this —  we’re not using taxpayer dollars for this project — and so we are going to be in the process of raising those funds,” Ms. Langenbach said.

“Our concern is, we want to keep this momentum going — we want to build the park in this next year or so and we have money to build the majority of it. And so if we were shy, say $100,000 or so, then maybe the solar lighting would be an alternate that would be in the next phase,” she said.

The city’s public arts commission with the parks and recreation commission will give feedback on the type of artwork to be displayed at the dog park, she said.

Commissioner Judy Borey suggested a memory path be added.

“Pavers with your dog’s name on it — the ones that passed away,” she said.

Functional art, such as an obstacle course for dogs was suggested by Commissioner Jesse Gage.

“Absolutely a possibility,.. They are proposing in the project boulders that dogs could climb  that are designed specifically for that and for safety,” Ms. Langenbach said.

Next steps for the project include the 90% drawings expected in September or October and getting an intergovernmental agreement with Pinal County, she said.

The Apache Junction Parks and Recreation Commission is an advisory board that works with the parks and recreation director. The board recommends regulations, policies, control and improvements of public parks in Apache Junction. The commission also recommends fees for the use of public facilities, full-time and seasonal employees as necessary for the efficient management of city parks and recreational programs, according to the city’s website.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@iniusa.org

Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia, Inc.. USA, since 1987. Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. He also is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows