After 14 years, the original donations to Naples Dog Park have dwindled as maintenance costs have risen, so city officials plan to survey dog owners about their needs, desires and funding.
City officials will be seeking input and considering a public-private partnership, user fees and fobs and private fundraising to continue maintaining the park at 99 Riverside Drive, across from Baker Park. A proposed survey for dog owners will be outlined at the Community Services Advisory Board’s March 18 meeting.
Chad Merritt, the city’s director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, told the Board on Feb. 19 that the original 2010 resolution by City Council said if donated funds were no longer sufficient, they’d have to consider usage fees.
“We mulch it, we maintain it, we put out dog bags and we empty the trash,” Merrit said, adding the eight-member Naples Dog Park Committee was supposed to maintain the 1.35-acre park. “The staff is always going to be involved, and there’s always going to be a little bit of a cost that we absorb.”
Donations are nearing their end, he said, and $40,000 can’t maintain a projected $150,000 operation.
Naples Dog Park was approved by Council on May 19, 2010, after a push by a group of residents, Naples Dog Park Committee and its ambassadors, who raised about $250,000 for construction and $15,000 more for maintenance costs.
Designed by Naples architect Matt Kragh, it was nicknamed Central Bark and opened March 9, 2011. It features fenced, lush green landscaping, dog-friendly mulch, a 1-acre Bailey Tobin Big-Dogs Run and a 0.35-acre Dolce Sherman’s Small Dog Playground. The Palmer House offers shade, benches, washing stations, water fountains for dogs and people and a picnic area. All vaccinated dogs can use it, but are required to register here: bit.ly/naplesdogparkregistration
Maintenance costs were initially $12,000 yearly, but they’ve risen and city staff is maintaining it after the committee and ambassadors became inactive and donations decreased. Deputy Director Aaron Hopkins said it will cost $100,000-$150,000 to mulch it four times yearly and power wash monthly.
The CSAB is considering whether it should become the Naples Dog Park Advisory Committee, and if the city should subsidize maintenance; require fees and key fobs; add oversight; or provide only facility maintenance and management.
Merritt noted Naples will still maintain it as much as possible, but his department maintains beaches, parks, medians and Fifth Avenue South and empties trash at 40 beach accesses. “We have to make sure that the funds that we have are going toward those items,” he said.
He noted the 2023 Naples Pier survey provided invaluable information, so surveying dog owners could provide a solution, showing the needs and where users live. He also suggested posting a QR code, as at the pier, to encourage donations.
CSAB members discussed using color-less mulch so dogs’ paws aren’t stained, and resurrecting the committee, but most didn’t favor user fobs while agreeing registration needs to be enforced.
“I have grave doubts that we can do it without any rules and without tags,” Smith said of requiring and monitoring an entry system. “There are a lot of people using it who aren’t paying a dime who feel as though they don’t have to follow any rules.”
The committee also considered safety due to a May 2022 shooting incident involving an East Naples man who shot a bulldog-pit bull mix after claiming it was attacking his German Shepherd. Detectives found no evidence; the shot dog’s owner said they were just growling, and she was pulling her dog away when he ordered her to control her dog or he’d shoot. As part of a plea deal, the shooter pleaded no contest in Collier Circuit Court to animal cruelty and discharging a firearm. He was barred from entering the park.
Dog owners said they appreciated the city for supporting and maintaining the park.
“The dog park is a very special place for us, not only for my dog, but for me,” said Margaret Puya, a county resident. “I’ve made a lot of friends here and it’s really become my second home. I’m there every day.”
City resident Tracy Gough suggested absorbing maintenance costs into Baker Park’s budget, with dog owners assisting with donations. She noted 75-100 dog owners are there on weekends and she wanted tourists to be able to use it, not restrict it to city and county residents.
“If we do a charity event every year, it’s just very important that we get at least a little bit of funding from the city,” Gough said. “I don’t think any of us have a problem stepping in and giving donations.”
