READING, Pa. – Reading City Council voted Monday night to approve removing the old Schlegel Park tennis courts and replacing them with a dog park.
The project will be the first dog park within the city limits.
The installation of the park will cost about $150,593.
Councilmember Vanessa Campos, the District 1 council representative, questioned what the thought process was for a dog park and whether other options were considered.
Deputy Managing Director Jamar Kelly said when Mayor Eddie Moran came into office, one of his first requests in terms of outdoor recreation was for a dog park.
Kelly said the administration struggled to determine the best place in the city for a dog park.
The project will include paving the parking area, providing an Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible path and removing the concrete on the abandoned tennis courts and replacing it with a grassy area.
Kelly added that the city is also considering a larger, destination dog park in Mineral Spring Park, near the area of the former East Ends hotel.
Campos said she does not see how anyone would be against this opportunity in Schlegel Park, but she just wanted to consider any possible negatives or pushbacks from the community.
Kelly also clarified that the tennis courts were abandoned when new tennis courts were constructed in the front portion of the park.