Samantha Frazee began visiting Longmont’s Dog Park 2 — which is 0.2 miles west of the corner of Airport Road and St. Vrain Road — during the pandemic to get outside with her dogs, Wallace and Murphy, and to “feel somewhat normal,” she said.
Frazee said that the years have taken their toll on the dog park. Over the years other patrons have sent their concerns to the city of Longmont, however, the problem areas remain. Patrons did not give up though, Frazee said.
“People have been doing these little small projects around the park when there was no response coming back from the city,” Frazee said.
This year the funding to spruce up the park is available and patrons excitedly offered to volunteer their time to the project.
“We are thrilled when the community gets organized around a particular cause or stewardship project! When our Longmont community members reach out to us with a request for a volunteer event, it helps us understand what matters most to our residents and also gives us a leg-up in addressing the issue quickly and with community buy-in and support. As such, we do our best to support community-inspired projects whenever possible,” said Taylor Gifford, volunteer coordinator for the city of Longmont.
Frazee said there are several places at the park that contain sharp rocks and gravel that have hurt the paws of several dogs. Also, the fence is in need of mending and the shade structure is rusty and old.
The city has agreed to purchase breeze crusher fine materials to reduce mud and a more stable ground surface. The material is also less likely to get stuck in dogs’ paws, Gifford said via email. It will also supply all the necessary materials to paint the shade structure.
The patrons of the park have a long list of projects they hope will be tended to in the future, but for now, Frazee is happy to see some progress being made.
“It has become a place for me and my dogs to come out and get some exercise and talk to people … It’s a beautiful space and has so much potential. It’s just a big park and could be so much better,” Frazee said.
