Community: Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Population: 10,000+
Hannah’s Bark Park is the Mt. Pleasant area’s newest dog park. The park is the product of a collaboration between the City of Mount Pleasant, Union Charter Township, and Friends of the Dog Park, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The entities equally funded the construction of the park, and the city and township have agreed to equally share in ongoing maintenance.
The park is named after the late Hannah Simons-Scalise, an avid lover of dogs who unfortunately lost her battle with cancer while in her teens. Before passing, Hannah indicated to her parents that she would like her legacy to be the creation of a place where dogs could run free and play.
Hannah’s passion inspired a community-wide effort to see her vision realized and has led to unprecedented public and private collaboration within our community.
Hannah’s Bark Park is expected to be completed in July. For updates on the park’s construction, visit http://www.mpdogpark.org/.
Replicability:
What was key in making this project work was a clear focus on shared interests. Both the City of Mt. Pleasant and Union Charter Township had the construction of a dog park within their long-term plans. The Friends of the Dog Park seized on this shared interest and helped our municipalities realize that we could achieve this goal much sooner by working together.
Creativity and Originality:
One of they key pieces of this project was the involvement of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Friends of the Dog Park, as a full partner in the creation of the park. The Friends of the Dog Park have been instrumental in helping to solicit donations, both in terms of money and volunteer hours, that made this project possible.
Community Impact:
First and foremost, the dogs and dog owners within our community will now have a place to enjoy Mt. Pleasant's natural beauty without a leash. More importantly, however, this collaboration has allowed the city and the township to develop a strong relationship never seen before in our community. This relationship will continue to pay dividends in the future as we continue to collaborate on other projects.
