The grass is finally greener

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- Newly grown grass will meet a pack of dogs’ paws today

at the long-awaited reopening of the city’s renovated Bark Park.

“I’m excited,” said Linda West, treasurer of the Costa Mesa Bark Park

Foundation and owner of a dog named Thunder. “We’ve waited six months for

the opening, and we finally got it to happen. Thunder is looking forward

to some real grass and to seeing his pals again.”

The park was closed six months ago to allow the city to add parking

and walkways to improve access for individuals with disabilities, and to

give the Costa Mesa Bark Park Foundation a chance to grow grass.

A temporary park for dogs was set up next to the Bark Park, but it

will close at 10 a.m. Saturday as the Bark Park reopens with a free

festival that will double as a fund-raiser to pay for the park’s

operating expenses.

Bark Park T-shirts, calendars and other souvenirs will be on sale as

part of the celebration for the 2 1/2-acre space, which the city has

operated for years.

Public review of the park renovations led to a heated debate about the

ground cover last year. Dog owners spoke adamantly in favor of grass

instead of wood chips, but city officials said they feared the expense of

maintaining grass that dozens of dogs would trample every day.

The City Council approved a plan in October 1999 to allow Bark Park

volunteers to try to grow and maintain grass at the park, and volunteers

said they are sure they can do it.

The foundation paid professionals to plant a mixture of rye, fescue

and Bermuda grasses -- which flourish in different seasons -- so grass

will grow there year-round.

Volunteers said they already have set up a contingency plan in case

the grass needs further maintenance in the future.

“We have a beautiful lawn right now. It’s in better condition than the

last lawn was when the park began,” said Pat Bell, consultant and public

relations official for the foundation. “We hope the grass will stay as

nice as it is now, but if it doesn’t, we’ll deal with it by cordoning off

the area in trouble and reseeding it. We have a lot of space, this grass

is hearty, and you should see [the dogs] kick up their heels in it. They

like grass because they can roll in it. The footing is much better than

[other terrain], and it’s just their natural play area.”