Paws hit fresh grass at the new Kenai Bark Park on Friday after a grand opening for the new space located at the Daubenspeck Family Park near Walmart.

The grand opening came roughly five years after the project was first approved by the Kenai City Council. It covers around 1.5 acres and the City of Kenai provided around $88,000 in funding. Park organizers raised at least a further $43,000. The bulk of construction occurred this year, after in 2022 the space’s footprint was expanded and the project was taken on by the city as a capital project.

“It’s been a long time to get here,” Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel said before cutting the ribbon and opening the space.

Gabriel credited completion of the project to the involvement of several community partners and organizations, who are recognized in a mural at the park’s entrance.

“You can honestly say that this was a community effort,” he said. “You hear about ‘it takes a village.’ This is a project that actually did take a village.”

The park features a fenced-in space for putting on and taking off leashes, and two separate zones for “Large Paws” and “Small Paws.” There’s agility equipment, benches and a walking path, as well as a large field.

Moments after the park was opened, three dogs were its first guests. Bella, a larger dog with a tongue hanging several inches out of her mouth, bounded excitedly up and down the grass, climbing the agility equipment with ease. Xulu, a smaller dog with long hair, was content to watch the excitement. A dachshund named Lilly very much wanted her dad to pick her up when the friendly Bella came looking for introductions.

For more information about the Kenai Bark Park, visit https://www.facebook.com/KenaiDogPark.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Lena Wissner, Brian Gabriel, and Tyler Best cut the ribbon at a grand opening ceremony for the Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Attendees of the grand opening of the Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, view a wall with the names of contributors for the project on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Bella tests out the newly opened Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Bella tests out the newly opened Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Xulu tests out the newly opened Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Benches are ready for use at the Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Agility equipment is ready for use at the Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Agility equipment is ready for use at the Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Bella tests out the newly opened Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Bella tests out the newly opened Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

A sign identifies a space for larger dogs at the Kenai Bark Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)