How about helping the needy,sick, and hungry?
Very simple to do and cost 35K?
AIKEN --- Aiken's four-legged residents will soon have a place of their own to run free, socialize and act like the dogs they are.
Aiken's Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department is in the process of planning for the city's first dog park. Funding -- about $35,000 -- will be included in the department's 2008-09 budget.
Director Glenn Parker said the decision to fund the park in next year's budget "probably has pushed us back a little in developing the dog park," but once the funding is in place dogs won't have to wait long for their very own recreation space.
Dog parks are typically large, fenced areas set aside for pets to play off-leash.
The dog park will be in a wooded northwest corner of Citizens Park that backs up to the Governor Aiken Park subdivision.
The recreation director said the area is not being used for any recreation purpose, making it ideal for a dog park.
In September, a group of residents approached the city council about establishing a dog park at Citizens Park.
"Aiken is very much an animal community -- horses and dogs and cats," Dr. Trey Wofford, a small-animal veterinarian, told the council. "We would like to establish an area here in the city closely accessible to the majority of the people where you could take your dog ... off leashes and let them run."
The dog park will have a section for small dogs and a section for larger pets. Users of the park will be required to register their animals in order to access the park, and the city will provide equipment for owners to clean up after their dogs.
Most of the park's construction will involve fencing, a couple of water fountains, jumps and benches.
"It's very simple to do," Mr. Parker said. "A lot of folks are building dog parks in their communities because of leash laws."
Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.
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