Creating amenities like dog runs and disc golf courses alone don't necessarily grab headlines, but its little things like these that show how Ann Arbor's park system is on top of its game.
The city is opening a new disc golf course (its second) in Bandemer Park and a off-leash dog run (also its second) at Olson Park this fall. Well known for the high-quality of its parks and recreation facilities, Ann Arbor is often on the cutting edge of improving and developing trends for recreation in Southeast Michigan.
"We've got a pretty good park system, one of the best in the state," says Amy Kuras, a spokeswoman for the Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation Department spokeswoman. "People tax themselves pretty well for this and it shows."
Though it took some campaigning, dog park advocates finally secured special areas within pre-existing parks for their canine companions to run and play off leash. Although many cities mandate leashing dogs on public property, dog parks (along with dog ownership) have been gaining popularity across the U.S. in recent years. Cities like Seattle, Chicago and Minneapolis have a sophisticated system of offleash areas, providing access throughout their communities.
Ann Arbor's disc (Frisbee) golf course is another small niche amenity the city is setting aside space for in its 147 parks. Similar to traditional golf, disc golf uses much of the same rules and terminology but skips the immaculate lawns and motorized carts.
Park workers will clear a significant amount of invasive species of trees and underbrush to create room for the 9-hole course on Bandemer, a former industrial site used by a towing company before the city turned it into a park. The cost of constructing the course will be offset by a handful of volunteers and some money from the Bandemer Fund.
"There are a lot of reasons this park makes sense," Kuras says. "It's sort of an underutilized section of the park and we'd like to make it more available to park patrons."
Source: Amy Kuras, Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation Department spokeswoman
Writer: Jon Zemke
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