Written by Abbey Williams // Graphic by Makayla McDonald
Searcy City Council approved a plan to implement new basketball courts and a new dog park in town, which will be located near each other and continue to improve Searcy’s parks.
Director of Searcy Parks and Recreation Mike Parsons said the community prompted this expansion.
“The dog park idea came from the public,” Parsons said. “We put feelers out during our 20-year master plan, and we got a very big reaction for basketball courts and to be more dog-friendly in all our parks.”
Parsons said because of the small size of the current dog park, he, the city planner and several others visited dog parks throughout the state for ideas for the new design. The new dog park will be much larger and located on the back side of the Carmichael Community Center, Parsons said. As for the basketball courts, the park currently has five, but since they are outside the main area of activity, Parsons said the planning team decided to add two new courts north of the new dog park.
Parsons said construction should start soon.
“We have Richard Stafford on board, who has the knowledge and abilities to plan this out and make the design on a computer for us,” Parsons said. “He started in January. We’re hoping to put it out for bids in the next couple weeks and break ground and start construction in the next month.”
Planning and community development director Richard Stafford said the plans for the park and courts are coming along.
“We are working hard on the dog park construction plans, and then we did add a pavilion up by the dog park, that kind of is part of the dog park,” Stafford said.
Stafford says the basketball courts and the dog park will be visible from the Carmichael Community Center.
“At the very least, we love to go in and out of that property and clear the brush and clean up some of the trees,” Stafford said. “They need to be able to see the dog park and basketball courts in the Carmichael Community Center.”
Junior Chloe Daniel said the new dog park will allow her dog more socialization.
“The new dog park would benefit me because I have a dog of my own that loves to go to the dog park and play with her friends,” Daniel said. “The dog park now is just a fenced-in area with grass and a few tires. Having a new dog park would allow my dog and others to have more than a fenced-in area to be able to play on.”
Daniel said the new dog park and basketball courts could bring the community together.
“The new dog park as well as new basketball courts could improve living in Searcy by bringing the community together, and it would allow people to socialize and build friendships,” Daniel said. “It would give people an activity to do after work or school, and give people time to relax and have a good time with people that could potentially become friends.”
