By Charles Owens
For Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Princeton — Work on Princeton’s new dog park should be getting underway in the near future.
A contract on the project was awarded earlier this year, and the work was expected to start in January. But the weather didn’t cooperate as snow, ice and arctic air settled in across the region.
The cold spell continued well into February, which kept officials from getting started on the new dog park.
A new starting date will be determined soon, according to City Manager Mike Webb.
“His work did get pushed back some due to the absolute cold weather we were having in January and February,” Webb said of the project’s contractor. “So we are working with him.”
Webb said the city and the contractor will be working out a new construction schedule soon. Discussions between the two were set for this week.
The city’s new dog will be located on the lower end of a 11-acre site that was donated to city by the Preservati Family Foundation. The city’s new wave pool and aquatic center as well as the first multi-purpose athletic field are being developed on the same tract of land.
The city hopes to have the wave pool ready for the Fourth of July, which this year coincides with the U.S. Semiquincentennial celebration observing America’s 250th anniversary. Due to the special occasion, an expanded holiday celebration is being planned in the city.
Webb said the new dog park also should be ready in time for the Fourth of July celebration.
“That’s not a long, extensive build on the dog park as far as putting up the fence,” Webb said. “But we are going to talk to him and get that lined up. We want to have the dog park in place as well by the Fourth of July grand opening.”
In the meantime, the city’s existing dog park remains open to the public. It is located on land not far from WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital at the city’s recreation center.
The new location is expected to provide additional space for the dog park.
By having all of the amenities in a single location — the wave pool, dog park and multi-purpose fields — the 11 acre site is expected to become a destination both for local residents and visitors to the city, according to Webb.
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