The City of Lake Charles, the Quality of Life Task Force for the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, and the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana are pleased to jointly announce the grand opening of the downtown dog park – Bark du Lac. Bark du Lac is the result of a collaborative partnership to further the livability and appeal of the downtown area to incoming residents. The grand opening will take place on July 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at the park, which is located on the corner of Ann & Pine streets in Lake Charles.

“The dog park introduces another component to our downtown in addition to other amenities such as coffee shops, restaurants, museums, galleries, businesses and housing. Not only does the dog park provide a public place for residents and their dogs to safely socialize, it offers another reason for interstate travelers to stop in Lake Charles and shop in our businesses or eat in our restaurants,” said Mayor Randy Roach.

In September 2015, the City Council gave approval for the park to be created on city property behind the City Court building. At that time, the City committed to constructing fences necessary for the park along with other improvements and the Task Force committed to raising funds for other items including benches, picnic tables and fountains. 

“Having a dog park is something that our youngest generation of workers looks for when selecting where they want to live. Our Development Advocacy group worked closely with the City of Lake Charles to provide this park for its downtown residents and their furry companions. The City has many projects and programs they are working on to improve the quality of life for their residents, and we were glad to step in and raise money for this park’s amenities,” said Patricia Prudhomme, 2016 Quality of Life Chair Chair and Director of Banners at McNeese. 

The Bark du Lac Dog Park would have been impossible without the overwhelming response from residents and local businesses in support of this park. Over 60 individuals, businesses and organizations contributed to the Quality of Life Fund at the Community Foundation to make the dog park a reality. Doug and Gay Gehrig of McDonalds of Southwest Louisiana signed on as the park’s benefactor. The Juliet Hardtner Endowment Fund of the Community Foundation started the fund as a Gold Sponsor, and was joined by Silver Sponsor CITGO Petroleum, and Bronze Sponsors Rick and Donna Richard of Empire of the Seed, Mr. and Mrs. Billy Blake, Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, The Rotary Club of Greater Lake Charles, The Pat Hight Insurance Agency, The Investors Group of Louisiana, Magnolia LNG, and Vicki Wicks in memory of her mother – Sylvester Myers. The park also benefited greatly from Friends of the Dog Park which brought in $4,250 in contributions ranging from $25 to $500. We are also honored to have been the beneficiary of donations in memory of Mrs. Catherine Navarra. 

The downtown dog park will be under the supervision of the Recreation and Parks Department of the City of Lake Charles. For more information on the park or the grand opening planned for July 16, please visit www.cityoflakecharles.com or call 337 491-9176.