Rotary Seeks Bones To Complete Dog Park

SPRING HILL - Dogs drooling in anticipation of the county's first park built with them in mind will have to wait until summer after all.

Rotary Club of Spring Hill Central hopes to complete the dog run area of Rotary Centennial Park in the next few months, said club member Laurel Predmore, who is overseeing the project.

The club has between $5,000 and $10,000 left to raise, Predmore said.

The 8-acre is park located at the corner of Landover Boulevard and Sandlor Street, just south of Northcliffe Boulevard. There is about $30,000 worth of work left to do on the park's first phase, including the planting of grass in the three-acre dog run and finishing electrical and tile work on the restrooms, Predmore said.

Cemex/Rinker is expected to soon furnish its next $20,000 donation, said Brooks Edwards, the club's secretary. The company pledged $100,000 over five years; the third installment was expected last month.

"They're going to honor their commitment, it's just a little slow in coming," Edwards said.

The project got an injection of energy recently with a $5,000 donation from a Spring Hill couple, Predmore said.

The couple asked to remain anonymous, but Predmore was willing to provide a few details: They split their time between Spring Hill and Vermont, and have a Golden Retriever they're itching to see frolic at the park. The couple had previously donated $1,000, Predmore said.

"Needless to say, we were thrilled," she said.

County Finishes Its Share

The county has played a large role in the park's progress, Predmore said.

The county's annual Citizens' Financial Report might have been confusing for some residents, though.

The report, a glossy 24-page pamphlet released last month, offers a summary of the county's finances for the 2007 fiscal year. Page 13 provides a list of "Major Initiatives."

One item notes that the parks and recreation department "completed construction of Rotary Centennial Park, a community park being built in partnership with the Spring Hill Central Rotary Club, to include the county's first dog park."

Pat Fagan, the county's parks and recreation director, provided the information for the report, which is prepared by the clerk of court's office. Fagan clarified that the county has fulfilled its portion of the work: About $50,000 worth of supplies and labor, including design work, fencing, a well and irrigation system.

Predmore said the county has been "great" and has "done everything they said they were going to do."

The county will maintain the park once it's complete. Fagan has recommended the club plant Bahia grass at the park, which will be less expensive and require less water.

Fagan said he'll work to make sure the park opens as soon as the restrooms are done and the grass has taken root. There are still amenities to come, though.

The second and final phase of the park includes playground equipment, two basketball courts, a sand volleyball court a large picnic pavilion. The cost for that phase is estimated at some $140,000. Rotary so far has only the two remaining $20,000 installments from Cemex/Rinker to put toward that price tag, Predmore said, so it will likely be some time before the park is complete.

Black Rock Construction Services of Florida Inc., based in Spring Hill, is donating services that add up to about 20 percent of the total cost of the park, estimated at $400,000.

The Spring Hill Central chapter took on the project after Rotary International encouraged its chapters to take on a larger-than-normal community project in honor of the organization's 100th anniversary in 2003.