Cookeville Dog Park Could Open Late-Spring, Early-Summer

Cookeville’s long awaited Dog Park could open later this year.

Approval of park features and amenities will be voted on by the Cookeville City Council Thursday.

Leisure Services Director Rick Woods said he would like to have obstacle courses, dog water fountains, shade structures and more. Woods said if approved, the features they order should arrive in the next four to six weeks.

“We’re probably looking at early-summer, late-spring, early-summer,” Woods said. “Before everything is here and installed and we’re ready to open.”

Woods said the 38,000 square foot park will be a process to fence, but provides more safety for dogs off-leash. Woods said one of the biggest challenges still to come with the park is determining how the grass will hold up in the park.

“Give them a place for their dogs to come run, our park will have two areas,” Woods said. “We’ll have a small dog area and a large dog area, there will be some separation there and that’s a good thing.”

He said the next step being taken on the park is planting shade trees in the coming weeks. Woods said then work will continue to get everything installed and ready for use.

“There’s a lot of fencing and gates that go out there, so that still has to be done,” Woods said. “The shade structures that we’re purchasing, the hard shade structures those will need to be installed. Then all of the benches and the amenities and the variety of obstacles and interactive kinds of equipment for the animals.”

Woods said a $100,000 Dog Park Dash grant was awarded last year, that will be put towards this project. The dog park will be located at Cane Creek Park.