Rexburg dog park needs a cleanup

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) - The City of Rexburg has a dog park, but local dog owners are saying they are unable to use it. They claim it is in need of serious attention. 

"Just get super, super muddy, like, right at the entrance, and it just piles up really bad, and it just gets harder and harder to walk and myself and with my dog," Jenna Schwarz said. "I think the cleanliness of it is such an issue. Like with my dog, he's a basset hound, so he's super short and low to the ground. And so if he even sets foot in the mud once, it'll kicked up onto his tummy, and then it's like a whole bath night for him afterwards."

Trey Carlton said many owners try to service the park themselves. 

"Well, there's pallets have been brought over by people wanting just make sure like humans and dogs can get to where they can play in the park without being covered in mud. They're not provided by the city that somebody else came in, provided them, saw the need for something to be done and it wasn't done. There's been people that have supplied bags. Some people even taken out trash themselves," Carlson said.

Owners have been trying to find other places to take their dogs to play.

"This happens every single year, and every year," Schwarz said. "We have to find other accommodations and other options for our dogs because the park is just unusable for a certain amount of time every year."

Local News 8 called the city several times regarding park complaints and heard back from the mayor Thursday. 

Mayor Jerry Merrill said he went to the park himself Wednesday to investigate dog owner concerns. 

He plans to try to work on it this spring after the ground has solidified. 

They plan to replace the entrance area with either gravel or wood bark chips to help drain the water. He said they also plan to plant trees, install new sod and repair the obstacle course.

The mayor says he is organizing a community cleanup day at the dog park to kickstart the project on March 30 at noon.

There will also be cleanup at the skate park the same day.