Harvard Dog Park now open at Milky Way Park

Remi and Aela have become the best of friends after meeting at the new Harvard dog park.

They spend time chasing balls, sniffing each other and checking out the new arrivals as owners, Breanna Bryan and Laura Warnecke, throw the ball and chat.

The two Harvard residents have been taking their dogs to the park “ever since they told us the fence was up” in early February, Bryan said. The two have become dog park friends, as have the two pups.

They didn’t know one another until they started taking their dogs there for exercise, Warnecke said.

For Bryan, the dog park is the one time Remi can run off-leash, as her home does not have a fenced yard.

There was a lot of demand from residents and it wasn’t a matter of the land. It was the cost of putting fencing up for the park board.

—  Harvard Mayor Mike Kelly

The dog park is completely free for residents to use. The goal, Parks Superintendent Ryan Knop said, is to keep the regulations in line with Harvard’s dog ordinance. Dogs must be vaccinated and licensed, and their owners must pick up after them. Other than that, the dog park is open to everyone.

Residents can use the park during normal operating hours, from daylight to dusk, Knop said.

The city has wanted a dog park for its furry residents since the idea was included in the 2015 parks master plan, Harvard Mayor Michael Kelly said.

“There was a lot of demand from residents, and it wasn’t a matter of the land. It was the cost of putting fencing up for the park board,” Kelly said.

Milky Way Park wasn’t the original plan for a dog park, Kelly said. Instead, it was envisioned as being closer to Harvard’s outdoor pool at Lions Park.

That location was too wet and Milky Way Park – where Harvard’s Milk Days festival is held – was flat and dry, foundation board President Laura Evers said.

Finding the funding for the dog exercise and play area came through the recently formed foundation and is the first project it sponsored, Evers said. Funding for the project came from seed money from the city and fundraisers, the Red, White and Blue Food Truck Feastival held in July and a golf outing.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department does not have a large budget, Kelly said. After operating costs for the city pool are taken into account, about $20,000 remains each year in “board discretionary funds” for other park needs.

“The pool is a hole in the ground, and money and water flow into it,” Kelly said.

While there was talk a few years ago about closing the pool, residents asked that the city continue to fund it.

With little city money available to develop a dog park, the foundation took over fundraising the $27,078 needed to install a fence enclosing the 1-acre park. As the foundation paid to install the fence, it did not have to pay prevailing wages as prescribed by Illinois law for cities.

“The original bids were double that,” Evers said.

Now, the foundation is looking for “what our next project will be” to help improve Harvard parks, Evers said.

At the moment, the fencing and a double-walled gate to prevent sly dogs from escaping are the only features there other than a picnic table.

“Separate from the foundation, the city’s parks department is planning to install several additional features, including a bench, shelter and trees, but that may not be until late summer,” foundation board treasurer Scott Logan said.

A grand opening for the new dog park is set for 5:30 p.m. May 16 at the dog park in west end of Milky Way Park, 300 Lawrence Road.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the amount paid by the Harvard Parks Foundation. The correct amount is $27,078.