Second Dog Park Planned in Cathedral City

Second dog park planned at former Second Street Park

CATHEDRAL CITY — Two dog parks were among the City Council’s goals in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 budget process, and Council members show no signs of veering off course.

With the successful opening of the now-popular Panorama Dog Park in the spring of 2022, the City Council is turning its attention to a second dog park to be located in the former Second Street Park.

Features of the Panorama Dog Park include trees and landscaping designed to provide shade. Seating areas for people are provided along with water stations, pet waste stations, trash cans and pet challenge equipment,

Constructing a dog park at the former Second Street Park property is a logical choice
which may reduce overall construction costs by using existing infrastructure at the
location that may reduce full ground up construction costs, according to John Corella, director of engineering/public Works.

The City Council on Wednesday will be asked to approve a proposal with Santa Clara-based Verde Design Inc. in the amount of $13,340 for a Conceptual Design Plan for the Second Street Dog Park; and authorize Corella to execute the proposal. Staff specifically solicited Chris Giannini of Verde Design. Giannini was the designer of the city’s award-winning Ocotillo Park, the Panorama Dog Park, and is currently designing the Dream Homes Park.

Giannini was asked for the cost of a conceptual design and drawings with the understanding the scope of the work will include a park for small dogs, a park for large
dogs and site furnishings, parking lot and, if space allows, pickleball court(s) within the
Project site limits. Additional trees, shade structures and new walkways connecting the
path of travel to the dog park will be included. Relocation, removal and/or protection of
existing structures, fencing, lighting will be reviewed for options to maintain in place,
reuse, relocate and/or remove.

Rough estimates indicate that at least $1.0 million will be needed to complete a “good dog park project” at this location, Corella wrote in a staff report. Currently, funding for construction of The Second Street project is limited to $250,000.

City staff has determined if there is a conceptual plan developed for constructing the Dog
Park, staff would be able to determine a more accurate construction estimate. This conceptual plan and estimate will in turn serve as the basis for discussions with
potential funding partners, for example, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and/or other organizations that may want to provide financial support for
the project. This plan and estimate will also provide a basis for seeking grant funding to
support the project as well, according to Corella.

There are advantages to choosing the former Second Street Park location, according to Corella. At this location, frontage improvements were improved with the reconstruction of Buddy Rodgers Avenue in conjunction with the construction of the Agua Caliente Casino Project. Even though a portion of the Second Street Park property was utilized for the City’s new Fire Station 411, there is sufficient land to repurpose.

According to a recent poll conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), 9 in 10 (91 percent) Americans believe dog parks provide benefits to the communities they serve. More than half (55 percent) of park and recreation agencies currently have at least one dog park.

Americans list the top three benefits a dog park can have on a community as:

• Gives dogs a safe space to exercise and roam around freely (60%)
• Allows dogs to socialize with other dogs (39%)
• Allows owners a chance to be physically active with their pet (36%)

Availability of doggie parks is especially popular among millennials (94 percent) and Gen Xers (92 percent) followed by baby boomers (89 percent) who agree dog parks provide benefits to communities.