Orland to move ahead with dog park plans; Oak Forest wins $25K
BY MIKE NOLAN mnolan@southtownstar.com August 3, 2012 5:22PM
Updated: September 6, 2012 6:24AM
While Orland Park and Oak Forest failed to win the $100,000 grand prize in a nationwide competition for money for a dog park, Orland Park officials appear to be moving ahead with their own plans for a place for pets to romp.
At a village board committee meeting Monday, Orland Park trustees will consider an agreement with Orland Township, under which the village and township would share in the costs of a dog park, to be located in the village’s Centennial Park.
Orland Park placed fifth, with 45,616 votes, in PetSafe’s “Bark for your Park” contest. Results were announced online Friday, with Texarkana, Ark., winning the top prize, with 167,373 votes.
Oak Forest, however, was the runner-up, with 123,417 votes, and will receive $25,000.
Under the terms of the Orland agreement, which the full Orland Park village board could vote on later this month, the township would cover half the cost of building and equipping the park, not to exceed $100,000. Construction costs were estimated last year to be just under $183,000.
Having the village and township team up to share the costs would “advance the dog park project much more rapidly as the village originally contemplated phasing in the development over several years,” according to a village document.
Oak Forest Ald. Laura Clemons said Friday that fundraising efforts in her city already have garnered nearly $37,000 for a dog park, and that the city is working with the Cook County Forest Preserve District to develop the park on forest preserve property. She said the park could be open this fall.
