At the beginning of December, $19,000 had been donated to Friends of Lake Panorama for a proposed Lake Panorama dog park. By the end of December, donations had reached $29,000.
The ultimate goal for the dog park is $50,000 to construct the park and provide all desired amenities. The Friends board had set an interim goal of $25,000 raised by May 1, 2021, to ensure this is a financially viable project. With $10,000 donated in December, that goal was surpassed four months early.
One reason for the strong level of donations was a challenge made early in December by Amanda and Jeff Creen, who said they would match up to $2,500 in donations made within the month.
The couple has been taking their two rescue pups to the Perry dog park for the past year. They were excited when plans for a Lake Panorama dog park were revealed, and are looking forward to it being built. Amanda says they decided to offer the December matching funds to help speed the process.
Amanda is the Lakeside Village director, and she and Jeff live on the third floor of the senior living facility. Lakeside Village is pet friendly, and there are several dogs living with their owners there, in addition to Lola and Toby, the dogs she and Jeff own.
The couple adopted Toby three years ago, and Lola two years ago. Both came through United Yorkie Rescue and were seven years old at the time of adoption.
"We love the idea of a dog park at Lake Panorama," Amanda says. "I know we'll be loading up the Lakeside bus with dogs and their owners and making trips to the dog park on a regular basis."
Plans for the park include a 6’ high chain link fence 650’ long and 155’ wide. There will be two sections, one for small dogs and one for large dogs, with chain link fence dividing the two areas. A single entrance will be protected by a keyless lock. Once inside this gate, users can choose a gate to either the large dog or small dog areas.
Crushed rock will create a 5' wide walking path along and under the fencing to provide a weed barrier and keep dogs from digging. A small gravel parking lot will be adjacent to the park.
Amenities inside the park fence included in the $50,000 cost estimate are four benches, four stations where bags for dog waste would be available, and two domed waste receptacles. A dual station pet fountain placed in the fence line between the two sections would make it possible for dogs to access drinking water from either side.
The facility will be open to LPA members and their guests. Signs will be posted for responsible use. A sign recognizing donors of $500 or more also will be posted at the dog park.
Fundraising for the dog park will continue as Friends of Lake Panorama’s priority project over the next several months, with hopes construction can begin in the fall of 2021.
The Friends of Lake Panorama board will host its fourth Beach Ball fundraiser on Friday, July 30. A final decision will be made at the board’s spring meeting, but it is anticipated a percentage of funds from this event will go to the dog park.
The board also hopes to use some of the Beach Ball funds for smaller projects, such as walking trails near Panorama West and the south shore, a disc golf course on the west side of the lake, and more benches and other amenities at all three beaches.