Seattle's pooches are set to score big time with some fresh turf to romp around unfettered, thanks to the city's park honchos. In a move that's got tails wagging across town, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) has announced West Seattle Stadium and Othello Park as the latest spots designated for dogs to ditch the leash and let loose, as per a press drop from SPR's newsroom.
With over 4,700 voices chimed in through online surveys, face-to-face yapping at local markets, and public yammering at board meetings, the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners (BPRC) greenlit the next two canine-friendly areas set for a makeover on March 14. In addition to the two spanking new Off Leash Areas (OLAs), sprouts are also scheduled to pop up at the Georgetown Flume, South Park Community Center Park, and Smith Cove Park—developments that were already on the board's drawing table before this expansion study unleashed itself, according to Seattle Parks and Recreation.
Seattle’s park department isn’t just throwing a bone; they've sniffed out funding for this new pack of OLAs. While sprucing up West Seattle Stadium and Othello Park with hound-friendly havens is already paid for, they’ve managed to squirrel away some cash to draw up fancy plans for a third site. But they'll need to shake down the money tree a bit harder for any additional OLAs to fetch the bucks required for both construction and maintenance.
SPR boss AP Diaz can barely contain his excitement over the expansion. "I am thrilled to see Seattle Parks and Recreation expanding our Off Leash Area (OLA) System," he crowed, as per Seattle Parks and Recreation. The dogs that have wormed their way into the city's heart need more space to prance without a leash, according to Diaz. Engaging neighborhoods and sussing out the perfect spots for these improv canine stages have been quite the fetch quest, but with a solid plan now pawing its way forward, Diaz is eyeballing a wide-eyed community keen to watch these doggie domains take shape.
Indeed, Seattle's four-legged citizens and their human handlers can look forward to barking up the fun at their new local digs, making the Emerald City an even more woof-worthy place to call home.
