ELMWOOF
ELMWOOF
Elmwoof is Elmwood Neighborhood’s dog park. Water is available for the dogs at the park and is dropped off in jugs by neighborhood volunteers. Come out during daylight hours and let your dog(s) run free inside the park. We are always looking for volunteers for daily operations of the park as well to be part of future phases of the dog park.
LOCATION
2150 South Edgefield Ave. across from Margaret B. Henderson Elementary School.
HISTORY
Elmwoof began on April 27, 2013 as a monthly pop-up demonstration project by Mark Lea, Kenneth Denson and other members of the Elmwood Neighborhood Association (ENA) to celebrate GOOD, Inc.’s first-ever Neighborday. The event and subsequent pop-ups were successful, coinciding with a growing citywide awareness of opportunities for southern Dallas advanced by Mayor Mike Rawlings’ GrowSouth initiative.
On March 28, 2014 it was announced that Elmwoof would receive $9,157 from GrowSouth for the purpose of making Elmwoof a permanent dog park. Several meetings took place, culminating in an email exchange on August 5, 2015 in which Assistant Director of Public Works, Ashley Eubanks, informed Kenneth Denson that the parcel of land at 2100 S. Edgefield did not fall under the city’s control and that permission would be needed from the heirs of its original owner. An August 31, 2015 project completion deadline passed, and the grant was forfeited. On March 22, 2017, ENA member Jorge Esteban located and contacted Mrs. Janet Jester, wife of Gibson Jester—the oldest living descendant of Elmwood developer Frank G. Jester—and confirmed that they would like to cede control of the parcel for its proposed use. This procedure was later deemed unnecessary, as the original 1924 plat of the Elmwood subdivision was found to have identified and ceded the triangular traffic medians throughout the neighborhood—including the site of Elmwoof—for park use, allowing ENA to sign a MOWmentum Agreement with the City of Dallas to develop and manage the space as a garden until funds can be raised to build a dog park that meets City of Dallas Park & Recreation standards.
PHASE 1 - Complete
A fundraising campaign secured the nearly $10,000 needed to prepare the site and purchase 64 modular fencing panels for the enclosure, and the park opened to the public on January 25, 2020. The park continues to operate under a regularly renewed agreement with the City of Dallas Department of Public Works and managed privately, with the understanding that once funds are secured to construct a facility that meets public dog park standards, management and operation will transfer to City of Dallas Park & Recreation.
As funds allow, paneling can be added to expand the fence and total square footage.
PHASE 2 - NOT STARTED
A future phase will consist of permanent structures built to City of Dallas Park & Recreation design standards.
A future phase will include permanent structures, irrigation and additional landscaping. Design by Eric Gonzalez.
