Don Wright, a laborer in Covington’s Public Works Department, installs a newly built dog waste bag dispenser on the Sixth Street Promenade, also known as George Steinford Park, in MainStrasse Village.
City adding dog waste bag dispensers - and they’re handmade
COVINGTON, Ky. - Covington is a canine friendly kind of place. Dogs are welcome on many bar patios. Yoga events feature bulldogs and puppies. And Covington Parks & Recreation itself turns the last day of the swim season at Goebel Pool into “Dog Swim.”
But as anybody who walks their dog knows, lovable and loyal Clifford inevitably leaves deposits that are messy and smelly.
To help owners clean up after their pets, the City of Covington is installing more dog waste bag dispensers in parks, medians and grassy areas around town.
And rather than continue spending about $600 for special-made dispensers that could only be filled with a particular kind of bags, the City is making its own dispensers for a few dollars each, with vinyl fence post sleeves, careful drilling and a little bit of muscle, said Brad Schwenke, Parks and Facilities supervisor in the Public Works Department.
“We saw pictures and figured there was no reason we couldn’t make these ourselves,” Schwenke said. “This will save a lot of money.”
At least 15 of the dispensers were constructed during the first round of manufacturing, Schwenke said, and they’re being installed on poles in a variety of places, including parks like George Rogers Clark, Father Hanses, 35th and Carlisle, Clayton Meyer, and Hands Pike.
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Don Wright in the workshop, building a bag dispenser.
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They’re part of an effort to help make those parks meet baseline standards while also responding to public requests, Parks & Rec Manager Rosie Santos said.
“The need for dog amenities is something we hear loud and clear from residents,” Santos said. “At nearly every neighborhood meeting I have attended, residents requested dog waste stations for their local green spaces. The in-house construction is in response to the high demand and the high cost.”
Santos said Parks & Rec will be reaching out to neighborhood groups and organizations for help stocking the stations with bags.
“We are asking residents to be our partner in providing this amenity,” she said. “Save your grocery bags and help keep them stocked!”
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