KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Here's some news that's sure to get dogs and their owners' tails wagging: 10 Knoxville-area neighborhoods just won a nice chunk of change to build new dog parks!
The Boyd Foundation held a contest asking neighborhoods in the area to nominate their communities for ten $50,000 grants to build new dog parks. More than 300 people nominated their neighborhoods, but 10 came out on top to win the grants: Corryton/Gibbs, Fountain City, Fourth and Gill, Halls, Holston Hills, Karns, New Harvest Park, Oakwood/Lincoln, Powell, and South Knoxville.
Boyd said the Holston Hills neighborhood, in particular, was very enthusiastic and showed the most support for building a new dog park.
“Most of Knox County's state of the art dog parks exist because of the generosity Randy Boyd has shown this community for more than a decade,” said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “It has long been a priority to ensure Knox County is a pet-friendly community. As a pet owner myself, I know these new park additions will move us even further down the path to becoming one of the most pet-friendly places in America.”
The foundation worked with the city of Knoxville, Knox County and Knox County Neighborhood Dog Parks in hopes of making the area even more dog-friendly than it already is. Their goal: Make Knox County the number one destination in America for dogs and their owners by having the most dog parks per capita.
Knox County currently ranks 29 in the nation in that regard. With the addition of 10 new parks, though, the Boyd Foundation said it will rank at the very top.
“In a world where so much is dividing us, we need more ways to bring people together and dog parks do that. They are not just great for pets, but also for people and building community,” Randy Boyd said. “We’ve been working for more than a decade to make Knox County and Knoxville the Most Pet Friendly Community in America and this new round of neighborhood dog parks will make our goal a reality.”
Boyd said the winners will work with the city's and county's parks and recreation departments to find the best locations and amenities for each park. He believes it will likely take up to two years to see the parks built.
“This is a generous gift from the Boyd Family Foundation, and my dog Bobo and I are excited to see more new dog parks soon to be built at the neighborhood level,” Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “I encourage residents to share ideas and work together toward adding a wonderful new amenity and gathering place in their neighborhood.”
Boyd said having ample dog-walking space is the highest factor in determining how much use a park sees these days.