The grand opening of FurField, the city’s new multi-use and dog park, is set for mid-October, but an exact date has not been determined.
Fairfield Parks and Recreation Director Tiphanie Howard said a soft opening for the much-anticipated park expected to open within the next 10 days, but only one of the four dog pads will be accessible.
“We’re about three weeks delayed, but I’m happy with that because it could have been three months (delayed),” said Howard. “We encountered some drainage issues. Of course, it’s an old mining quarry.”
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The delays were due to a wet winter and spring as water could not drain fast enough from the area. Seven six-foot diameter dry wells were installed to prevent future drainage issues, Howard said.
The park’s grand opening celebration, which will feature food, music and giveaways, was announced at Monday’s City Council meeting to be on Oct. 5, but it’s been changed due to a scheduling conflict, Howard said.
But hopefully by late September, Howard said, “The public can use certain areas of the park until our grand opening, to where we’ll open the whole thing.”
After the grand opening, she said the park will revert to limited access.
“Because the turf will be brand new, we will restrict usage,” Howard said. “We need the turf to be able to establish itself before spring, or else we won’t have any turf.”
The city broke ground in October 2018 for the $1.14 million, 6.5-acre multi-use and dog park at 6611 River Road that is part of the property commonly referenced as Black Bottom. The city purchased the land from the gravel-mining company Martin Marietta with a Clean Ohio Grant from the state.
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Amenities for the park include restrooms, an 800-square-foot pond with a dock and zero-entry edge, multiple fields with a separate small dog play area and shaded gathering spaces.
It will also serve as a trailhead for the planned Great Miami River Trail extension. The dog park portion also incorporates 4,100 feet of fencing.
“We’ve been waiting a long time. We’re just as excited as the community to get this up and going.”
There had been a lot of excitement around the dog park’s anticipated opening. The city’s Facebook page has seen a lot of comments awaiting
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