Grey Park Dog Park: Design concepts and feedback

At Wednesday night’s Grey Park dog park feedback session, a couple dozen or so residents shared suggestions for where to set the dog area and how to maintain family recreation space in the park at 1051 Main St.

At the meeting at Robert Crown Community Center with consultants from Upland Designs, city staff and Fourth Ward Councilmember Jonathan Nieuwsma, neighbors also voiced concern about use of the grounds by nearby Albany Care residents.

This was the first of several public feedback opportunities for the dog park. Potential design concepts will appear publicly before the Parks and Recreation Board and at another more public engagement meeting in May before the city moves forward with construction. “This is an idea that has been percolating for a couple of years,” Nieuwsma said. “The idea seems to be very warmly received in this neighborhood.” 

No matter the design concept, the $250,000 budgeted project will feature 6-foot-high fencing, two double-gated entrances with a passcode, dog waste receptacles and no additional lighting or tree removal. A line of hedging toxic to dogs should be removed, however, consultants said.

The current plan is for the dog park to be free for residents, but at least one meeting patron showed support for fees to help with upkeep. 

Concepts on the table

Consultants Liz Dafoe and Tom Dvorak presented two current design concepts. 

Concept 1 features a larger space for dogs to run and is farther west on the available land, while the smaller Concept 2 space is set more in the middle and would allow agility equipment for dogs to jump and play on. 

Residents had the opportunity to post stickers on boards as votes on which design they liked best. They could also rank other features, as consultants and city staff are working with a limited budget and seeking feedback on resident priorities.

Based on residents’ questions, comments and stickers, those at the meeting seemed to favor more space for dogs to run and play over agility equipment for them to jump on.

One resident also piped up during questions to say that if given a choice between agility equipment and a water fountain with dog bowl, they would take the water feature. Many agreed.

However, no water service currently exists to Grey Park. Making a water feature happen might prove expensive, according to city project manager Stefanie Levine, who is working with consultants on the project. 

Although residents seemed to prefer a larger design, some voiced concerns about where to place the dogs within the larger park.

Don’t let the dogs outs

Both designs would encompass at least a portion of green space at the west side of the park toward Ridge Avenue.

One resident mentioned that kids currently play in the open space, tossing around footballs or hitting baseballs. She suggested setting the dog area a bit farther west instead of east, so families who play there could still use the park.

The east half of the park is less suitable for this kind of play, according to the resident. It has less green space, and also is frequently used by Albany Care residents for smoking. 

A few other residents showed support for placing the dog area more in the middle or middle to east within the park. 

“Having an entrance or exit anywhere near Ridge is scary, because, God forbid, somebody gets loose,” one resident said. 

Placing the dog park along Ridge Avenue, some dogs might spend their play time chasing cars they spot on the road, as the resident pointed out. 

Albany Care resident usage of the park was a hot topic.

“We are not devoting the entire park to four-legged mammals,” Nieuwsma said, “We want to maintain use of that park for Evanston residents, which includes the people who live in Albany Care.”

He also mentioned that Albany Care might be willing to contribute monetarily to the project, but that he also doesn’t “want to let them buy themselves any publicity.”

Residents generally seemed supportive of the dog park, especially because they hoped it would deter activity they said they’d witnessed as potentially illicit in the park.

One resident quipped that in the battle of “dogs vs. drug deals,” he’d happily take dogs. 

A few residents had remaining concerns, though, especially with cigarette butts they believe Albany Care residents are leaving behind.

Parks and Recreation Board President Ellie Shevick spoke up about the cigarette butts, and how park patrons might be less inclined to leave them there with the incoming dog park. In her experience, Albany Care residents “love dogs.”

“I think these people would want to help the dogs,” Shevick said. 

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