Dog Park to Shift, Grow with Locke County Park Road Fix-up

Fridley's dog park will move west within as part of a project this spring that will also see the park's entrance road replaced and shortened.

The one-acre, fenced dog park draws dog owners down a long, straight but badly potholed stretch of 71st Avenue NE to the eastern end of the park property.

The county intends to rebuild the road to stop short of the current dog park site—a reduction in asphalt expected to save money on snow plowing and other maintenance work.

County landscape architect Danielle Sanborn also cited costs and difficulty of solving drainage problems at the current site as a reason for the move.

The new dog park site, close to picnic shelters, toilets and a parking lot near the road's current midpoint, is bigger at 1.5 acres.

Still, dog-park users advocated for keeping the park at its current, more out-of-the-way location at a public hearing March and at an active Fridley Dog Park page on Facebook.

One advantage of the current site, several dog park users said, was its unobstructed stretch for playing fetch, as well as a forested area where some dogs like to explore.

It's the first and only off-leash dog park in Anoka County Parks. Work on the new road and dog-park site could begin in May; the current dog park will remain open through most of construction.

Bids Come in Low
Construction bids on the Anoka County Park project came in March 23 "significantly lower than budgeted," according to Jennifer Fink, marketing and visitor-services manager at Anoka County Parks and Recreation. The county expected to pay $700,000; the apparent low bid, by Northwest Asphalt, is $581,669.70.

The county board will award the bid as early as next week, Fink said.

City of Fridley Support
The Fridley City Council on Monday approved a resolution supporting the changes at Locke County Park.

Anoka County has operated the park on city property since 1980.