Grant allows Bartlett parks to go to the dogs

Thanks to a $311,400 state grant, dogs in Bartlett will finally be able to have their day at the park.

Work on the Riley's Run park project in the Castle Creek subdivision is slated to start this fall, Bartlett parks Director Rita Fletcher said.

"I'm very excited for the project," she said.

Work will include Bartlett's first dog park, allowing canines to stroll and socialize without being restricted by leashes. The dog park will be divided into a 1¼-acre fenced-in site for large dogs and a ¾-acre site for small dogs.

The total project will span 8 acres and is slated for completion in spring 2009 at Lambert Lane and Thornbury Drive, bordered on the north by the EJ&E railroad tracks.

The total construction cost is $635,000, which will be split by the park district and a state Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant. State Sen. John Millner of Carol Stream helped secure the money. The state has awarded a total of $18.2 million of these type of grants for 48 projects this year.

Suburbs including Des Plaines, Hoffman Estates, Glen Ellyn and Evanston already have dog parks. Some require dog owners to pay a monthly membership fee.

There has been no word on a fee structure or if fees will be required for the Bartlett dog park.

But Riley's Run will have plenty of human amenities, too.

Other planned features include a playground, picnic shelter, tennis court, basketball half-court, walking paths with fitness stations and a mini-arboretum.