The City of Santa Clara recently completed the rehabilitation construction on the Raymond G. Gamma Dog Park, at 888 Reed St. The city hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the park’s completion and opening.
The dog park has been updated to include natural elements, open space for dogs to run and climb, and now has additional space allocated for large dogs.
As the city’s first permanent dog park, it originally opened in January 2006 and was dedicated to Raymond G. Gamma in 2017. The rehabilitation construction began in 2018 and was completed this month.
“In Santa Clara, we pride ourselves on high-quality parks and recreation services for our community. The newly rehabilitated park will provide positive benefits to residents and a dedicated space for their dogs,” Mayor Lisa M. Gillmor said in a statement..
With community input, the city created a new welcoming space for the community and their dogs. The 1.72-acre park amenities include designated small and large dog areas, canine synthetic turf, irrigation to keep turf cool, plenty of on-site parking, electric vehicle charging stations and park lights. The project was designed by Dillingham and Associates.
“We are so proud of what the team, designers and engineers were able to create for the community and look forward to seeing dogs jump, run and play for years to come,” said James Teixeira, director of parks and recreation.
The Raymond G. Gamma Dog Park will be open year-round, from 6am to 10pm daily. The city now has three dog parks and areas; visit SantaClaraCA.gov/DogParks for more information.
So-called “canine synthetic turf” is plastic grass that pollutes the bay through plastic nano-fiber runoff from rain or hoses. People tend to think it’s more “carefree” than actual turf but, in addition to environmental issues, it will host tears, lose divots,, support weed growth, etc. especially around edges, in holes & in accumulated dirt. Turf companies state that maintenance includes “Pick-up solid waste as it occurs, Groom to remove dirt and debris (using a leaf blower, vacuum, extractor, or power broom), Clean the surface (rinse, sanitize, and/or treat with bacterial enzymes)” — frankly that doesn’t sound any more “carefree” than actual grass and, as a dog owner, I have to wonder about plastic off-gassing (look up synthetic turf off-gassing) as well as excess heat (plastic turf’s surface is hotter than the air temperature) and about “bacterial enzymes.” We are planning to stay away.
I dunno Cumulus. I get what you’re saying and synthetic grass has some poor qualities for sure.
But I remember when the dog park along Los Gatos Creek Park in Campbell was first opened with real turf. That grass simply didn’t have the toughness to stand up to the level of use. After a couple weeks it easy a mud pit. They changed it to synthetic and it’s worked well. The Parks Dept. does a pretty good job of keeping it clean. I think they have to “water” it a lot to leech all the stinky stuff through.