The Kent Dogs Offleash Group (K-DOGS) distributed this newspaper article, which I have copied here for your information.

Dogs will have run of park in October

South King County's first off-leash dog park is scheduled to open Oct. 4, the King County Journal reported. "It's a done deal," said Lori Flemm, Kent's superintendent of park planning and development. Hundreds of dog owners have pushed for such a park for more than a year, Flemm said. Now they'll be able to let loose their dogs on the grounds of the 37-acre Grandview Park, off Military Road in SeaTac. The park borders Kent and is only a few blocks outside the Des Moines city limits. It will be open from dawn to dusk.

"It's a much needed addition to South King County," said Kent dog owner Wes House. "But it needs to be step one. One location is not going to cut it down here." House is a member of a group called Serve Our Dog Area, or SODA, which will operate and maintain the former King County park. Ownership of the park has been transferred to SeaTac. SODA also stewards a 40-acre off-leash area at Redmond's Marymoor Park. King County and eight South County cities will share the $35,000 cost of getting the South County park ready to open, Flemm said. The portion each city will pay is based on population. King County will pay the most at $18,275, while Tukwila will pay the one-time fee of $859. The other cities involved are Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Renton and SeaTac. Officials said a dedication ceremony will be organized for opening day. Sept. 20-21 is a volunteer work weekend at the park. Flemm said workers are needed to help build fences to keep the dogs in the park.

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