Merced dog park to be renovated by local business owner

A day at Merced’s dog park sometimes meant Frank English’s Shih Tzu/Pekingese terrier-mix Rollie came home soaked in mud.

Although Rollie may not have minded the muddy coat, English felt the issue needed addressing.

“Right when you walk in, the dogs get muddy,” said English, owner of Dawgscape, a Merced pet waste removal service. “Anytime we get any rain, it gets flooded. I couldn’t take my dog there because of the mud so I thought, let’s do something about it.”

English spearheaded an effort to fix the problem – mainly a drinking fountain that floods near the park’s entrance – by filling in the area with decorative landscape bark. He also recruited a team of six volunteers to help with the project, which is being done Saturday afternoon.

But the makeover of the park’s large-dog area is just getting started. On Wednesday, the city of Merced donated 30 cubic yards of wood chips at no cost. The chips will replace the hard gravel near the park’s entry gate – gravel that English believes was extremely hot and painful for dogs’ paws, particularly during the scorching Merced summer.

George Sanchez, public works supervisor for Merced’s parks and trees division, said volunteers fixing up the park is a “win-win” because the city doesn’t have the manpower to do it. The park has been open for seven years, Sanchez said, and this is its first major renovation.

“It’s just a plus to the city to have residents who can do that for us,” Sanchez said. “This is a heavily used park, and it would become a muddy mess. They’re helping the city because they are doing the work the city would not have time to do right now.”

English also plans to install six trees to provide shade for parkgoers and their four-legged friends. The project will cost him more than $500, but the animal lover believes it’s the right thing to do.

“I felt this was a service to the community, and it’s something that would make people feel good,” English said. “Dog parks should be pleasant places to go, not covered in mud.”

Marilynne Manfredi, president of the Merced Dog Owners Group, a nonprofit that raised funds to open the dog park, said her group was aware of the concerns and was working on fixing some of the problems with flooding and shade.

“This is something we’ve been working on, and we met with the city a few years ago,” Manfredi said of M-DOGS. “They came out and looked at it and we started things, but then it stopped, probably because we weren’t persistent with it.”

“I guess we just really needed someone to get in there and do it,” she added. “I’m happy (English) is doing good stuff for the park.”

One volunteer rolling up her sleeves to help on Saturday is Faith Ford, whose husband owns H&J Handyman Services in Merced. The local business plans to donate equipment to haul the wood chips, including wheelbarrows and trucks.

“We’re extreme dog lovers,” Ford said. “This is a community dog park, and we want it to be nice.”

Ford got involved with the effort through Facebook and said she’s excited to see positive changes at the dog park. “It’s a nice place to come, but I noticed it does need some work, especially shade in the summer,” she said. “Not only are the dogs going to benefit from it, but the community will as well.”

In addition to wood chips and shade trees, English said he plans to ask the city to consider adding more lighting to the park during a future Merced City Council meeting.

This story was originally published January 7, 2015 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Merced dog park to be renovated by local business owner."