Proposed Dog Park in Silver Spring Could Be Pilot Park for County

The proposed urban dog park in Ellsworth Park was well-received at a public meeting on Oct. 30, the county parks department reported on its website.

Currently in the county, there are five dog parks on existing parkland, but no dog parks inside the Capital Beltway.

The proposed Ellsworth Urban Dog Park would be a pilot urban dog park. It would take up only about a fifth of the entire Ellsworth Park (located between Ellsworth Drive and Colesville Road, next to the Silver Spring Library), and would include between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet of unconstrained area for the pups, according to the parks department's website.

Cost estimates for creating the dog park range from $40,000 (for a basic dog park with chain link fencing, no shelters, standard benches, and grass, bare earth or mulch) to $400,000 (with decorative fencing, water fountains or features, special paving and landscaping, and high-end seating), according to the parks department.

The parks department hopes to present an updated concept plan to the county planning board for approval early next year. Final design, permitting and construction would follow approval.

To submit comments on the Ellsworth Urban Dog Park, email park planners Brooke Farquhar (Brooke.farquhar@montgomeryparks.org) or Dominic Quattrocchi (Dominic.quattrocchi@montgomeryparks.org). 

>>>Read more about the proposed dog park on The Gazette's website.

Do you think there should be a dog park at Ellsworth Park? Where else could a dog park be created in Silver Spring? Tell us in the comments.