Robeson's Inc. - Apartment Amenity Caters to Pets

Date: June 3, 2002
Contact: Eric Robeson, Golfview Village
Phone: 217-351-4225
Email: eric@robesons.com

Apartment Amenity Caters to Pets
Local Apartment Community offers 1/2-Acre Dog Park

Dogs at one local apartment community now have a place to exercise after a hard day of bone chewing and resting in their apartment. Golfview Village in Rantoul now offers "The Village Bark Park", a 1/2-Acre, fenced dog park for resident pet owners.

"We have dog owners in our apartment community, and quite a bit of space in our commons areas," says Kenneth Roessler of Golfview Village. "We decided to create an area where dogs can get some exercise off-leash in a controlled environment."

The owners of Golfview Village consulted Joe Potts of the Urbana Park District and Steve Notaro of the Champaign County Humane Society for tips on how to design and maintain the park.

"We did not just put up a fence," says Kyle Robeson of Golfview Village. "There are a number of people in this area that have done research on dog parks, and they lent us their expertise," Robeson said.

The dog park is surrounded by a 4-foot, green fence which was chosen to be aesthetically pleasing. The layout was designed so that most of the corners in the fence surrounding the park were eliminated, so people or other dogs are not "cornered" in the enclosure. A double gate with a small entry vestibule was installed so that dogs within the park will not escape when the outer gate is opened. In addition, the dog park includes benches for pet owners and receptacles specially designed for pet waste.

The "Village Bark Park" is open to residents of Golfview Village only and there are posted rules which are to be followed while in the park. The apartment community does allow dogs, but there are limits on the size and number of dogs that are acceptable. The owners of the community further plan to develop a "pet council" made up of responsible pet owners which can provide feedback and make suggestions to management.

"To my knowledge, this is the only dog park of its kind in the area," said Lawrence Roessler of Golfview Village. "The 'Bark Park' gives resident pet owners the opportunity to enjoy a big, fenced yard, something you do not normally get when renting an apartment."