Hammel Woods to get dog park improvements
Will County canines will have more room to play at Hammel Woods as officials plan to build an additional dog park for smaller animals at the Shorewood preserves.
A $206,518 bid will be awarded to Frank Burla and Sons Builders of Channahon to add a 2.3-acre play area for small dogs, with a shelter and walkways, and to improve the shelter, fencing and turf at the existing 8.5-acre dog park.
The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s operations committee agreed Wednesday to award the bid to Burla, the lowest of three bidders, and it is expected to be approved by the full board of commissioners at its Aug. 10 meeting. The work will be done September through December.
The district has six dog parks throughout the county, and all but Hammel Woods have parks with separate areas for large and small dogs (those under 35 pounds) where they can run unleashed.
The Friends of the Forest Preserve District of Will County is raising funds that may offset some of the costs of these improvements, and grant funds are being pursued through the PetSafe Bark your Park grant program.
Other dog parks are available at Messenger Marsh in Homer Glen; Forked Creek Preserve, Ballou Road Access, in Wilmington; Lower Rock Run Preserve, McClintock Road Access, in Joliet; and Whalon Lake in Naperville. A new dog park at Plum Valley Preserve in Crete Township will open in spring 2018. Permits are required to use these facilities.
The popular Hammel Woods also had the most incidents of vandalism for the second quarter of 2017, according to a district report.
On three occasions, someone spray-painted signs in the preserves, and one item was dumped.
There were 28 total incidents of vandalism, fly dumping, theft or accidents from April through June at 18 sites, resulting in a cost of $1,493 in materials, labor and equipment.
According to the district, this is a 48 percent decrease in incidents from the second quarter of 2016 and a 70 percent decrease in cost.
Old Plank Road Trail and the Riverview Farmstead each recorded three incidents, and the DuPage River Confluence Preserve had the highest costs in damages for the quarter at $221.
On two dates, someone spray-painted the walls of the 95th Street underpass, according to the report.
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