Alum Creek Dog Park

March 13, 2005 Newsletter - written by David Wennberg

Mar 15, 2005

Spring is about to unfold, and it has been several months since the intial Alum Creek Dog Park organizational meetings last fall. During that time Denis Buehler has continued his commitment to seeing the dog park become a reality, but his job has required that he spend most of his time in other state parks throughout the winter. The Alum Creek Dog Park vision that Denis brought to life will happen as we harness our enthusiasim for the project and take the next steps forward. We look forward to seeing everyone this spring as the fund raising and development plan come together.

Site tour set for Saturday March 19 at 9:00 AM

If you haven't explored the site of the Alum Creek Dog Park yet, come out next Saturday morning. From Old State Rd. heading north, turn right on Hollenbeck Rd. towards the marina. Turn into the first driveway after the marina entrance.

Flyers have been printed

An initial printing of 2500 flyers are available for distribution to introduce the community to the Alum Creek Dog Park and to solicit donations. Thanks to everyone who contributed to development of the flyer. It looks great! If you come to the site tour on Saturday, please take a stack to share with anyone who might be interested in the dog park. In the next week flyers will be taken to many of the pet stores in the area, but there are many other opportunities for distribution such as your veterinarian office, library, church, book stores, coffee shops, gym, grocery stores, or homes in your neighborhood. If you can't make the site tour on Saturday, send an email to alumdogpark@earthlink.net with your name, phone number, and note your interest in helping with distribution of flyers.

The following pet stores will have been contacted prior to the site tour on Saturday about making brochures available:

PETCO Sawmill Rd.
Petsmart Sawmill Rd.
Complete Petmart between 71 and Rt 23 on Polaris Parkway
Complete Petmart Schrock Rd. and State St. in Westerville
Petland Powell Rd. and Sawmill
Petland Huber Village Blvd. (beside Kohls in Westerville)
Petland Powell Rd. and Rt. 23 (between Walmart and Kohls)

Pooch Parade April 23 in Worthington

We will have a booth at the Pooch Parade. This will be a prime opportunity to get the word out. See www.poochparade.net for more information about the annual Pooch Parade. If you are interested in volunteering some time between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm, email alumdogpark@earthlink.net with your name, phone number, and note your interest in helping with the Pooch Parade activities.

Pooch Parade Fundraiser

We would like to raffle off a gift basket of pet oriented supplies, items, and gift certificates at the Pooch Parade. If you would like to donate items or have suggestions of companies or individuals who might like to make a donation, email alumdogpark@earthlink.net with your name, phone number, and note your interest in helping with the Pooch Parade gift basket raffle.

Heidi's Homemade, Inc

Heidi's Homemade is continuing their support of the Alum Creek Dog Park. Order forms must be dropped off at the Alum Creek State Park office by Friday April 1 and product pickup will be April 15th from 11AM - 8PM. Order forms can be picked up on Saturday during the site tour or by emailing alumdogpark@earthlink.net.

Engraved Brick Sales to support the Alum Creek Dog Park

Engraved brick sales has been identified as an opportunity for fund raising as well as providing materials for a walkway in the dog park. The exact location and requirements for a walkway haven't been determined at this time, but the brick walk will enhance accessibility to the dog park.

We are working with a graphic artist to create a brick sales order form that is expected to be available Saturday at the site tour. The order form will also be available in PDF format for easy distribution with e-mail. Each brick can have up to 3 lines of text consisting of no more than 14 characters. Bricks will be sold for $35.

Site Development

Along with community awareness and fund raising, is the need to establish the plan for development of the site. As funding becomes available Denis Buehler will need help with determining the requirements for a dog wash station, waste bag holders, benches, obtaining bids for fencing, signage, and more. To begin the process Denis is planning a site clean-up day in April. Watch for more details in the next news letter.

Proposed parking fee for park use

As a note of special interest, the following information has been taken from an Ohio Department of Natural Resources fact sheet:


"Beginning May 1, 2005, visitors to Ohio State Parks will be asked to display a Parks Pride Pass on any motorized vehicle within a state park. These parking passes will cost $5 per vehicle on a daily basis. As an economical alternative, an annual parking pass - valid for unlimited visits over a 12-month period - may be purchased for $25. Non-resident visitors will pay $6 for a daily pass and $30 for an annual pass. A Parks Pride Pass may be used in any Ohio State Park."

alumdogpark@earthlink.net

This email address has been set up to facilitate communications about developing the Alum Creek Dog Park and is not an email address for the parks department.