Grand Opening Of Downtown Lake Charles Dog Park, Bark du Lac, Scheduled For July 16, 2016

Thanks to the overwhelming support of local residents and over 60 individuals and businesses who donated funds to make it happen the City of Lake Charles has a new dog park.  City officials, the Quality of Life Task Force for the Southwest Louisiana, Economic Development Alliance, and the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana are pleased to announce the grand opening for the brand new downtown dog park – Bark du Lac will take place July 16, 2016.

Area residents and their four-legged family members are invited to attend this exciting event, which will get underway 10 a.m. till 12 noon. This will be the first dog park owned by the City of Lake Charles and will be located on the corner of Ann & Pine Streets in downtown Lake Charles. Mayor Randy Roach explained the park is another addition to the ongoing downtown development saying,

“The dog park introduces another component to our downtown in addition to other amenities such as coffee shops, restaurants, museums, galleries, businesses and housing."

 

Mayor Roach continued, "Not only does the dog park provide a public place for residents and their dogs to safely socialize, it offers another reason for interstate travelers to stop in Lake Charles and shop in our businesses or eat in our restaurants.”

Residents and visitors to the city will be able to enjoy this park for many years to come. Bark du Lac Dog Park will also have a wide variety of entertainment and facilities for both humans and their furry companions to enjoy, like picnic tables, benches, fountains and more.  There are a host of individuals, local business owners and various organizations who helped to make the park a reality.  Quality of Life Chair Chair and Director of Banners at McNeese, Patricia Prudhomme, said the parks development took extensive planning and there is more to come adding,

“Having a dog park is something that our youngest generation of workers looks for when selecting where they want to live. Our Development Advocacy group worked closely with the City of Lake Charles to provide this park for its downtown residents and their furry companions."

 

She said, "The City has many projects and programs they are working on to improve the quality of life for their residents, and we were glad to step in and raise money for this park’s amenities.”

Special thanks to:

Doug and Gay Gehrig of McDonalds of Southwest Louisiana signed on as the park’s benefactor.

Gold Sponsor- Juliet Hardtner Endowment Fund of the Community Foundation

Silver Sponsor- CITGO Petroleum.

Bronze Sponsors- Rick and Donna Richard of Empire of the Seed

Mr. and Mrs. Billy Blake

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital

The Rotary Club of Greater Lake Charles

The Pat Hight Insurance Agency

The Investors Group of Louisiana

Magnolia LNG

Vicki Wicks in memory of her mother, Sylvester Myers, beneficiary of donations in memory of Mrs. Catherine Navarra and the many local individuals and families who contributed what they could to raise more than 4,000 for the project.  Below is some fun tips on how your pooch can have fun at dog park.  The Doe's and Don'ts.

Bark du Lac Dog Park will be maintained and under the supervision of the Recreation and Parks Department of the City of Lake Charles. To see a map of the park, click here. For more info about the park or the grand opening, visit www.cityoflakecharles.com or call 337 491-9176.