By Anna Herod

Starting this summer, Buda dog owners won’t have to travel to San Marcos, Austin or Plum Creek in Kyle to let their canine companions enjoy a leash-free day at the park.

Construction of a $70,946 dog park, located at Sportsplex Drive in Buda, will begin at the beginning of March, said Drew Wells, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. The projected completion date is mid-July, but Wells said the project should be complete by the end of June. 

Wells said Buda City Council appropriates funding for parks, including the future dog park. Along with the dog park, residents will also notice the completion of a series of improvements to existing parks this year. 

The construction of shade structures, playground equipment and other amenities are among the improvements. Water fountains, bulletin boards, kiosks and barbecue pits, are among the improvements.  

“All of that is funded through our Parks Capital Fund,” Wells said. “And the money that fund is set up whenever there is a development in town.” 

Wells added part of developer fees would be set aside for park improvements. 

Buda Mayor Todd Ruge said he has been advocating for a park of this type for years. 

“This is really kind of my pet project,” Ruge said. “I’ve been pushing for this for several years and we finally have the funding and the timing is just perfect this year to fund it. My hope is that it’s gonna be a great park and used to its fullest capacity.” 

Ruge said the benefits the park will bring justify the price tag. 

“As we grow, we’re running out of spaces where dogs can roam,” Ruge said. “There really isn’t a place right now for them to roam. I think it’s going to be money well spent.”

T.F. Harper and Associates, the park’s contractor, will meet with the Buda Parks Commission Feb. 17 to discuss design components of the future dog park, Wells said.

Well said dog park amenities will include walking ramps, a teeter-totter, hound hoops and flexible weave poles. The park will have two fenced in areas – a large dog space and a small dog space.

Officials first conceived the idea of building a dog park during the city’s 2012 master planning process. 

“The city, at that time, commissioned a master plan study to be conducted to look at all of our parks, and our trails and so forth,” Wells said. “Part of that master plan process was to identify what our current facilities and opportunities consisted of and also to look for what new items would be of interest or be of need in the community.”

Wells said the study showed that Buda residents were interested in the addition of a dog park. Locals are often seen walking their animals in Bradfield Village Park and Stagecoach Park because of the absence of a dog-specific park, he said. 

“A lot of our residential neighborhoods have smaller yards,” Wells said. “So I know there’s a need and it will definitely provide them with the opportunity to come into a big open area where they can take their animals off the leash and let them run.”

Amenities in Buda’s new dog park:

Walking ramps 

Wait table 

Teeter-totter 

Agility walk 

Hound hoops

Hound hurdles 

Flexible
weave poles 

Adjustable tire jump 

Adjustable jump bar 

Shade structures