Community

Belmont County Dog Park Receives Helping Hand From Local Business

Kailey Carpino

LaRoche Tree Service donated time and labor Thursday to trim trees at the Belmont County Dog Park at no cost.

"I wanted to thank Sheriff (David) Lucas for all of his hard work and to give back to the community," Cody LaRoche, job planner, said.

LaRoche said his two-man crew would spend most of the day trimming three trees in and close to the park.

"The reason for that is obviously to boost the aesthetic look while also making the tree a lot more structurally sound, making it a bit safer for everyone," he said.

LaRoche said a lot of work would go into trimming the trees. He hopes that the effort will improve the overall appearance of the park.

"They have to make the cuts, which is half the battle. Then, obviously, we have to bring the brush out and chip it and clean it up and also blow off all the leaves and clean up every little stick and everything. They'll make it look a little bit better than when we got here," he said.

Along with the two-man crew, LaRoche said that a safety representative would also be on site during the entire project.

"We really pride ourselves on safety and keeping the public safe while also letting our guys be safe to get home at the end of every day," he said. "We really appreciate all that Sheriff Lucas and the Belmont County Sheriff's Department has done for the community and for this dog park, and they have our full support in this project."

The dog park is located directly behind the Belmont County Health Department, which is situated off Ohio 331 between Interstate 70 and Bannock.

Lucas, who is spearheading the effort, said the project began last year and he hopes that it will be completed by the end of fall.

Lucas said the park will be completed at no cost to taxpayers. He said funding for the effort was made possible through a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, along with community donations and money from fundraisers. Incarcerated individuals at Belmont Correctional Institution have been working on the project.

Since the groundbreaking last month, the dog park has been shaping up with new fencing.

And Greg Ray of St. Clairsville recently donated a bench to the dog park in memory of his mother, Beverly Ray.

The project is a collaboration of the Belmont County Board of Commissioners, The Road Home Animal Project and the Belmont County Sheriff's Office.

For more information and updates on the dog park, visit the Belmont County Sheriff's Office on Facebook.