Voting is now open to win furry friends in and around Louisburg a Bark for Your Park new dog park award!
Louisburg has been named as a finalist in PetSafe® Unleashed New Park dog park worth $50,000. There are 25 finalists competing for the award.
The community that wins the most votes will win a brand-new dog park.
The location for the dog park, which will feature a small and large dog area, is just east of the Aquatic Center at the intersection of Harvest and Wildcat Drives.
Here are the details from the grant application on the Louisburg dog park;
Louisburg is an active town that loves animals. As a small town south of the Kansas City metro area, dogs are a huge part of our close-knit community. We love our rural lifestyle, yet as the Kansas City region grows, so do we.
In the past several years, we’ve seen our population grow and have added more multi-family homes, as well as a 55+ living community that would greatly benefit from a nearby place to take their canine friends. There’s a reason people choose to move to Louisburg. We take pride in our small town and have a vision for our community that includes a variety of outdoor recreational amenities that make it possible for our residents to stay in Louisburg rather than “going to the city.” This is why we are so passionate about building a dog park within Louisburg.
Currently, the closest dog park to Louisburg is a 20-25 minute drive. For most people (and dogs), the distance is unrealistic to do on a regular basis. With this in mind, a few dedicated citizens organized a community group, Friends of Louisburg Dog Park, with the goal of establishing an off-leash dog park for Louisburg, Kansas, and surrounding areas.
Over the past 15 months, the group has worked hand-in-hand with the City of Louisburg to align on the need for a dog park, secure a location, and work through the details for constructing the park. The organizers have presented multiple times to our City Council, Park and Tree Board, and Planning Commission, which has resulted in widespread support for the project.
In February 2023, the City Council approved a 2.15 acre city-owned lot to be used as the future site of Louisburg Dog Park. The approved location was chosen for its proximity to the neighborhoods that will benefit most and the walkability from nearly every neighborhood in town. The dog park will be located on a larger city property with plenty of parking. However, without room in the city budget for the capital expense, the park is dependent on the community fundraising the necessary dollars.
The City of Louisburg was awarded a grant through the C. Lyman and Ingrid L. Smith Foundation, through the First Option Bank Trusteed Foundation in May 2023. The city council has pledged to match that $15,000 grant if the necessary additional funds can be raised to construct the dog park. To date, an additional $3,000 has been raised by the Friends of the Louisburg Dog Park organizers just by selling dog treats and bandanas at this summer's farmers market.
In gathering estimates for various construction needs such as fencing, waste equipment, water fountain, benches, signage, and walkways, an expected budget of $60,000 is needed to build the park. Any additional funds raised will go towards providing shaded areas and agility equipment.
The Louisburg Dog Park will not only benefit residents who have dogs as pets, which is in the thousands according to local veterinarians, but also the community at large. By providing a place for residents and canine friends to gather, we anticipate a reduction of off-leash dogs in unauthorized areas and dog waste along popular walking trails throughout the town. It's also a really good way to meet our neighbors and their furry friends.