Dog Park Plan

VINCENNES, IND. (WTHI) -       A one time eyesore may be getting a new life as a dog park in southern Indiana.

     Sunset Court was a 1930's era public housing project in Vincennes that was eventually condemned and torn down.

     A trio of public agencies are now looking at turning the land over to the dogs.

     Just a couple of years ago Sunset Court was a mess.

     The rundown and empty public housing project was one that needed a transformation.

     That has now happened.

     The mess is green space, but the Vincennes and Knox County Parks Departments and the Vincennes Housing Authority have bigger plans.

     "People want a dog park," said Knox County Parks Superintendent Rama Sobhani.  "That's one of the things that's been on a long list of wants for awhile and it doesn't seem to be going away."

     The plan is to split the 2 acre site into places where large dogs can play and a separate area for small dogs.

     Sunset Court has a lot of space, trees, and grass and in terms of a dog park that's a good start, but officials say there's still a lot of work to be done before that conversion can be completed.

     "The whole property needs to be enclosed with a fence, about a 6 foot structure," said Vincennes Parks Superintendent Steve Beaman.  "It will have to have an entrance gate."

     "We'll have some drinking fountains out there," added Sobhani.  "The ones with the fountain on the bottom for the dog and the one on top for the owner."

     Perhaps, what make take even longer though is working out the agreement between 3 agencies to get the project going.

     "How are we going to operate it?" said Sobhani.  "Are we going to charge a fee? Are we going to regulate vaccinations?  What about liability, insurance, things like that?"

     Questions officials believe they can work out.

     "This is such a, I think, a great collaboration of all 3 groups," said Beaman. "and it shows what can be done when everyone puts their head together."

     Officials say they hope to have the park open yet this fall.