photo by: City of Baldwin City

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A plan to build an off-leash dog park at the city-owned nine-hole golf course in Baldwin City is set to get final approval in January, Baldwin City Administrator Glenn Rodden said.

The Baldwin City Planning Commission voted Dec. 12 to recommend that the Baldwin City Council approve a conditional-use permit for a dog park to be built on the 63-acre golf course at 1102 Main St., Rodden said. The permit for the dog park will be on the City Council’s Jan. 2 agenda, he said.

The City Council in October approved an allocation of up to $65,000 for the dog park. Ridden said the cost could be less depending on how much of the required work, such as installing fencing, is done by city employees.

If the City Commission approves the permit, the dog park should be open by summer 2019, Rodden said.

The City Council appointed a committee to study the possibility of a dog park after Kevin Matthews, president of the Baldwin Animal Rescue Network, proposed the idea at a meeting last spring, Rodden said. Several sites were considered before the golf course was singled out.

At the request of the dog park committee, Mike Brungardt, a Baldwin City resident and city administrator and engineer of De Soto, developed plans for the dog park, which he presented last month to the Baldwin City Council.

Brungardt said in a phone interview last week that the dog park would require about two acres in the northwest part of the golf course. One acre would be reserved for large dogs, and 0.4 acres would be available for small dogs. A gravel parking lot with room for 10 vehicles would be built on the remaining 0.6 acres.

A 4-foot fence would surround the dog park and separate the large and small dog areas, Brungardt said. Twenty-foot netting would be installed on the southwest part of the dog park to protect against errant golf balls.

Amenities will include drinking fountains that accommodate dogs and humans, sealed trash containers for dog waste and benches, Brungardt said.

The dog park committee recommends limiting use of the park to dogs with city tags, which would ensure they have up-to-date vaccinations, Brungardt said.

The Baldwin Golf Association, which leases and manages the golf course, has endorsed the plans for the dog park. After Brungardt shared the plans with the City Council, golf association board member Jake Wright said the group welcomed the dog park as a way to increase public use of the city-owned property. The dog park would not disturb the integrity of the golf course or the cross country course, which Baldwin High School and Baker University use for training and multiple fall events, he said.