12/18/08

Dogs can run free at new park

Thanks to the diligent efforts of a local dog owners' group and the Marysville Parks and Recreation Department, pooches now have a place to run and romp without leashes.

Strawberry Fields for Rover is a 3-acre plot southeast of the existing soccer fields at the Strawberry Fields athletic field complex, located at 6100-152nd St. NE in north Marysville.

Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall and City Councilmembers cut the ribbon on Saturday, December 6, to officially declare the city's first off-leash park open for dog lovers and their four-legged friends.

The opening attracted about 30 dog lovers and their pets, and Marysville Dog Owners Group (M-DOG) spokesperson Doug Buell reported, "the feedback has been incredible."

"Marysville Parks and Recreation officials and hard-working parks maintenance crews have given dog owners in the area a community asset to be proud of," Buell continued. Volunteers and members of M-DOG also held several work parties during the summer and fall to get the park ready for use.

The park was slated to open in mid-November, but flooding of the surrounding area delayed its dedication.

M-DOG has assumed stewardship of the park and its members will perform maintenance and upkeep. Volunteers from the community are welcome to join planned work parties, and M-DOG meetings, held at 6 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month at the Marysville Public Library, are open to the public.

To access the off-leash park, walk past the soccer fields to the fenced entryway into the Strawberry Fields system of walking trails, already in use informally by many visitors and their pets. Dogs must be on a leash from the parking lot and along the walking trail that leads to the off-leash park entrance.

For more information about M-DOG, visit www.m-dog.org or contact Leslie Buell at (360) 651-0633.

Members of Marysville's City Council help Mayor Dennis Kendall cut the ribbon to officially open Strawberry Fields for Rover, a new off-leash park. Wielding the ceremonial scissors are (from left) councilmembers Lee Phillips, Jeff Vaughan, Donna Wright, John Soriano, Mayor Kendall, Jeff Vaughan and Carmen Rasmussen.

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