UPDATE (6/4/18): The new re-opening date for the Northern Tail Dog Park is Friday, June 15.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Community members are advised that the Northern Tail Dog Park, which was expected to re-open tomorrow, May 15 (weather permitting), will need to remain closed for a little while longer. The new re-opening date is to be decided.
The extended closure is due to the wet conditions at the park and the need to allow more time for the grass to grow in an area of the park that had to be reseeded.
“We apologize for any inconvenience the temporary closing of the park has caused our residents and appreciate everyone’s patience. In fall 2017, the City of East Lansing completed some fairly extensive work to improve drainage and restore the grass at the park. In an effort to protect the City’s resources and ensure the restoration provides a higher quality and safer experience for park users, it is necessary to keep the park closed. We are monitoring progress of the grass grow-in regularly and plan to re-open when our restoration objectives have a better chance of being successful,” said East Lansing Parks, Recreation & Arts Director Tim McCaffrey.
This is the first time since the park opened in 2008 that the City has closed the facility in order to complete a renovation of this nature. In order to prevent a long-term closure like this in the future, City officials are considering temporarily closing the park when wet conditions exist and closing during the winter months, similar to other outdoor recreation venues, such as the East Lansing Family Aquatic Center, the East Lansing Softball Complex and the East Lansing Soccer Complex.