Barely a year old, Short Pump dog park closed for upgrades necessitated by high use

A dog park that opened inside the newly-expanded Short Pump Park just a year ago has been temporarily closed for upgrades due to overwhelming demand. This according to officials with Henrico County Recreation & Parks Department, who shared the news on their Facebook page.

While the rest of the park remains open, the dog park will be receiving more than $200,000 in upgrades including new astro turf, shade trees, and other upgrades that should make the park both easier to manage–the high traffic in the park made maintaining grass next to impossible–and more comfortable for patrons, as the department’s marketing person Pam Kempf explained to WTVR:

“With the amount of use the dog park was getting, we could not maintain the grass. It was becoming mostly dirt that turned to mud when it rained,” Henrico Recreation and Parks marketing specialist Pam Kempf said.

While unable to provide specific numbers, Kempf said dog park usage exceeded what was initially anticipated and prompted the $200,000 project — just 13 months after the park opened to the public.

The dog park is expected to reopen in early September if construction goes according to plan.

Read more about the project and where the funds are coming from here.