Without a skyscraper in sight, Newberry city officials, employees, residents and their furry canine friends celebrated the grand opening of “Central Bark,” the city’s first dog park, on Thursday with a ribbon cutting. 

Located at 347 NW 258th Terrace near Lois Forte Park, Central Bark offers fenced green space for dogs of all sizes to run around, socialize and play unleashed. Disposable poop bags and a water spicket to fill drinking bowls are supplied on site, as well as designated small dog (below 20 pounds) and large dog (over 20 pounds) pens. 

City Manager Jordan Marlowe said even more features are coming to Central Bark, including two covered dog bone-shaped benches sponsored by Newberry Animal Hospital and a fancier sign sponsored by Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic. 

Fountains equipped for human drinking at the top and dog drinking at the bottom will also be installed, along with an agility course, handicap accessibility and a food truck area with picnic tables for a “dog and dine” experience. 

“Thank you, guys, for coming. We appreciate it and hope everybody enjoys the park for years to come,” he said at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting. 

Over the last 10 years, Marlowe said a dog park had been one of the most frequent requests from the community, as some residents don’t have large enough yards to let their furry friends run loose. He said the city started drafting plans about six months ago for the centrally located piece of land.  

Central Bark is Newberry’s first new park since opening Champions Park in 2010. It’s funded by the Alachua County Wild Spaces & Public Places infrastructure tax, Newberry’s Community Redevelopment Agency and sponsorships, and will be maintained by the city. 

Marlowe said Central Bark hasn’t been like opening any other park.  

“You’ve got to get the flea mitigation, the water’s got to be clean, you’ve got to have the fences a certain height, get all your signs and all the appropriate things on them, have a small dog and a big dog area,” he said. “And then, you know, handling dogs that are still working on socialization, how can you help them with that. This kind of thing, where they can smell through the fence a little bit, helps.” 

While Central Bark observes a soft opening, Marlowe said the city is planning a grand opening that will hopefully feature an adopt-a-thon event. 

“Somebody could set up a food truck, we could eat, have some dogs running around and playing, then they can go home with a new family,” Marlowe said. “We think that’d be fun.”