Fishers celebrated the opening of its first municipally owned dog park at the Fishers Community Center with all 300 memberships sold and a waiting list of about 50.
Mayor Scott Fadness, city Recreation and Wellness Director Jake Reardon-McSoley and City Councilor Todd Zimmerman marked the occasion with remarks tracing the project back to residents’ requests for a place where dogs could play and their owners could gather.
“It’s been one of those things that residents have asked for time and time again, and today we get an opportunity to deliver it,” Fadness said.
The park includes a roughly half-acre section for small dogs and about 1½ acres available to dogs of all sizes, Reardon-McSoley said. He described the opening as the culmination of more than a year of work.
The celebration also comes during the week of the Fishers Community Center’s first anniversary, Reardon-McSoley noted.
Beyond giving dogs room to run, he said, the goal is to create another gathering place for families, friends and neighbors.
Reardon-McSoley credited Hagerman Construction and the city’s Department of Public Works for their roles in preparing the park. He singled out Public Works Chief of Staff Eric Steiner for his work bringing the grounds into shape and thanked the park’s coordinator for helping members complete the registration process.
Zimmerman recalled a conversation with Fadness at Sunrise Cafe in early 2021, when the mayor asked him to help gather residents’ ideas for a recreation center.
As the community worked through the COVID-19 pandemic, Zimmerman said, the discussions focused on ways to bring people together. A dog park ranked high among the amenities residents wanted.
Zimmerman attended the opening with his family’s dogs, Jack and Lucy. He said the two are 4 years old — younger than the community’s initial discussions about the project.
“They’re not just animals,” Zimmerman said of dogs. “They’re part of our families.”
He also recalled conversations with nearby residents who initially questioned replacing an open field with a community center. Those neighbors became involved in the planning process and are pleased with the result, he said.
The Humane Society for Hamilton County also participated in the opening celebration.
For residents hoping to join, the Community Center’s dog park website lists memberships as sold out and provides a waiting-list option. The park limits enrollment to 300 dogs.
Membership costs $72 for six months, with a limit of three dogs per family. Each dog must have required vaccination records and complete a $60 DNA test used to enforce the park’s waste cleanup policy. Dog park memberships are separate from general Community Center memberships.
