The dog park here will be closed to the public this weekend – for a televised make-over.
The makeover is courtesy of Toronto-based Sinking Ship Productions through a new television show called Giver. It is set to air on TVOntario, and features six local children between ages 7 and 12 who are on a mission to make the park a better place.
The makeover will be done with local volunteers working alongside the children and the show’s host-contractor to bring the children’s vision to life.
Parks and Recreation Director Andy Goldie, said the TV program brings great opportunity to Centre Wellington Township.
“To our knowledge, we are the first park in Ontario to install some of the features that will be added to the park through the program,” said Goldie.
“The upgraded park brings potential to draw new tourists, with residents enjoying the benefits of many new park features.”
The Giver children and Centre Wellington Dog Owner’s Group (CWDOG) volunteers will be installing new dog agility equipment and an oversized dog house.
Other improvements include additional tree planting and mulching of trails.
The township also made recent improvements to the new park prior to the filming, including expanding the gravel parking area and installing a water tap.
The dog owners group has been strong advocates for the park, and was instrumental in bringing the proposed pilot park to life.
Due to the success of the pilot project, the park was made a permanent park in March.
According to the show’s creative producer Kristen McGregor, the partnership made Centre Wellington the ideal candidate for the Giver program.
“We are so excited to work with the dog community in the Township of Centre Wellington to build a playground just for dogs – with the build led by kids,” said McGregor. “This will become a destination for dog lovers everywhere, and we can’t wait to tell the story of how it came to be.”
In order to provide a safe park area during the TV show filming, the Fergus Dog Park will be closed for use by the public on June 24 and will reopen with a grand opening celebration at 2pm on June 26.
Dog owners and enthusiasts are welcome to join in for the celebration at the Glengarry Crescent location for the ribbon cutting ceremony, hosted by Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj.
For the safety of the dogs on site, all dogs must be leashed during the grand opening celebrations.
