Page 66 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2018

SPORTS & OUTDOORS wag worthy Bark Park
PART OF GULFPORT'S RECREATIONAL PLAN
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of City of Gulfport
The City of Gulfport is taking lemons and making lemonade — in a manner of speaking — with 40 acres of land that have limited use. The property that’s bounded by 34th Street and 8th Avenue became city land through a FEMA buyout after Hurricane Katrina, and is being developed for use by two- and four-legged residents.
“Every element we’re building will not be hurt by flooding; we can not build anything
there that flooding will destroy,” David Parker, the city’s economic
developer, said. “We want to utilize every acre and
make it useful for the community.”
A one-acre Bark Park for dogs opened
recently and has spaces for large and small
dogs. There’s room to roam along with watering
stations, benches, pet- friendly sanitation
stations, pet obstacles and shade trees. Parker emphasized that the
Bark Park and other spaces in the acreage are
well lighted and have plenty of parking. When Bark Park opened, City
Public Relations Director Chris Vignes commented, “This just adds to the quality of life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Pets
are like children to a lot of families. This gives them a chance to get out and enjoy the outdoors.”
Bark Park joins a 17-acre disc golf course and a six-acre community garden that’s under the operation of the 34th Street Holistic Gardens. But there’s more to come, including a 20-acre bike trail that’s being developed, a three-acre nature trail and outdoor classroom, a kayak launch into Brickyard Bayou, and hopefully a farmers market.
Grants are funding these developments, beginning with a $12,000 AARP Community Challenge grant for the dog park. The grant money paid for materials, including lighting, a water system, fencing, seating and pet obstacles. The labor was performed by the city’s Public Works employees.
“We’re working on applications for other grants to pay for each element,” Parker said. “What we’re doing with this property is very similar to what we did with Fishbone Alley — taking an unattractive place and making it functional and good looking.”
With the ribbon cutting of Bark Park, Gulfport’s recreational plan adds more quality- of-life facilities.
66 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • February 2018
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
ABOVE: Gulfport’s four-legged residents have a special
place to enjoy the outdoors.