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Where are the good ideas for municipal government coming from these days, ideas that address a specific need and the funding to implement it.
From where we sit, good ideas along these lines have always come from both the government itself and the people it represents. Get those two elements working in tandem and things start to happen.
That seems to be the case with plans to set up a summer off-leash dog park in the city of Marquette, to be located just past the NTN North Trails 550 trailhead. A lot of dog owners support this effort which was identified in the city’s 2025 Master Plan as a desired option by 69% of polled residents.
“Marquette is celebrated as an outdoor paradise during its warmest, longest days of the year, but local dog owners have long faced a major hurdle: city ordinances prohibit off-leash dogs within city limits, including all parks, bike trails and beaches,” states a press release from Marquette Dog Park Friends, a volunteer group formed to raise the funds. “While Tourist Park provides a winter off-leash area from November to April, residents have lacked a space to exercise and socialize with their dogs during Marquette’s summer months. That is officially about to change.”
A generous offer by the Marquette Board of Light and Power of a parcel of wooded land will allow for the creation of an 8.8 acre park. The park will feature a 6.3 wooded area with shaded walking trails, a 1 acre area reserved for small dogs, a 1.5 acre open green space, fully fenced, accessible infrastructure including crushed gravel paths, wide gate entrances and a shared adjacent parking lot accommodating 50-plus vehicles, on-site drinking water by hand pump and access for both residents and travelers.
Mining Journal reporting found the fundraising goal for the project is $350,000, with most of the budget dedicated to fencing and earthwork to make the space fully accessible. The budget also includes endowed funds to assist with future maintenance. Once funds are secured and the park is constructed, the city will assume long-term care of the facility. The goal is for the park to be open next summer.
This is a good idea that a group of motivated dog owners is out front on. We support the project and how it has been handled to date.
Interested in donating? Visit www.marquettedogpark.com or email woof@marquettedogpark.org