Dog park back on track for 2012

The Crescenta Valley Dog Park is back on track.

Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation officials say they expect work on a 1.5-acre off-leash dog zone in Crescenta Valley Park to begin in August and be completed in March 2012.

The idea for a park started with residents forming the group CV DOGS — Community Volunteers for Dogs Off-Leash Gathering and Socializing — and gathering a petition with 2,500 signatures from dog-park supporters.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich supported the proposal, and after a community planning meeting in May 2010, work was expected to begin on the $300,000 project in March. But a contracting snafu caused the county to push the deadline back.

Imee Perius, a spokesman for the county parks department, said Monday that the Board of Supervisors is expected to approve a construction contract July 19. Once the contract is in place, workers will begin building the 1.5-acre park in the northwestern corner of Crescenta Valley Park.

The dog park will feature separate fenced areas for small and large dogs to run off leash, water fountains, benches, a hose-off area, new landscaping, and shovels and receptacles for dog waste. Workers will also restripe and improve the existing parking lot to meet Americans with Disabilities Act access standards.

“This is just a great opportunity for our community, and we can hardly wait until it is successfully completed,” said Crescenta Valley Town Councilman Robert Thomas, who owns a 50-pound Chow named Copper.

The park will be funded by a Los Angeles County Conservation Corps grant, according to town council member Cheryl Davis, who helped spearhead the community effort to get the park built.

Perius said park planners are preparing a final set of drawings for review at the Los Angeles County Flood Control District.