It all started with an idea – Green River should have a dog park.
That was six years ago and since then, the National Honors Society at Green River High School has worked to bring that idea to fruition. On June 17 at 9 a.m., the realization of that idea will be complete when a ribbon-cutting ceremony takes place at the Green River Dog Park near the city's horse corrals. A grand opening for the park will take place June 19.
Victoria Hemphill, the advisor for NHS group, said the group initially thought all they would need to do is fence off a space and provide water for the dogs.
"We found out we needed a fence and water," she said. "Six years later, I'm here to tell you there's much more than a fence and water."
Hemphill said work started with a raffle and raising nearly $600 a year until one of the raffle tickets made its way to a member of the Thomas and Mary Kourbelas Charitable Trust, which resulted in the project receiving $20,000 from the trust. Other organizations pitched in as well. Inberg-Miller Engineers provided land surveying work at no cost to the NHS students and groundwork for the park was completed by Searle Brothers Construction. The groundwork for the park almost killed the project because the costs would have been between $20,000 and $30,000, Hemphill said.
"We were near defeat, we weren't sure what to do," she said.
The city's parks and recreation department and the Green Belt Task Force also assisted with the park's creation. The city installed a sprinkler system at the park and built a parking area nearby.
According to information from the city, the project was accomplished with a budget of $38,000 and would have cost approximately $200,000 if it were a public works project initiated by the city.
Mayor Pete Rust said the dog park will be an excellent addition to the city and will create a reason for people to stop and visit.
"In tourism, one of the things that people talk about when they're traveling is they won't stop in a city unless they have a dog park if they have a dog," he said. "This is a huge thing for the City of Green River in terms of economic development and increasing tourism, which we want to focus on."
He said residents have said they don't have a place to take their dogs and now the city will have a dog park.
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