Volusia County, FL - On Thursday, The Volusia County Council will discuss the possible expansion of the dog park area of Bicentennial Park in Ormond Beach.
The dog park, which opened in October of 2011, has shown signs of overuse over the years, and there is a high volume of dogs in relation to the size of the dog park area, according to County records.
Public meetings were held in December of 2010, April of 2012, and October of 2014 in order to discuss issues regarding the dog park. Residents said the park needed shelter to provide shade, handicap access, and improvements to the turf. Two pavilions and two concrete paths with benches were constructed, County records say.
Park staff began taking steps to expand the park in October 2017, and approximately a half-acre of land was mulched to prepare for the expansion. Those plans were halted after a member of the public filed a complaint with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) surrounding gopher tortoise locations that were found on the park property, according to County records.
When a public meeting was held on November 7 of this year to discuss the expansion in light of the complaint filed with the FWC, more than 80% of the 80 residents who attended the meeting were opposed to the expansion. Now the County is seeking direction on whether or not to take up the expansion project again.
The expansion project is funded through local park impact fees and is budgeted for $22,870.
Bicentennial Park is 40 acres and stretches from the Halifax River to the Atlantic Ocean. The dog park area most recently made local headlines in November after several fish hooks were found in meatballs randomly placed around the dog park, and one dog ate one of the meatballs. Click
here for earlier reporting.
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