Eddie, a lovable Great Dane, had a great time during the Tri-City Bark Park grand opening. (Beth Mlady/special to cleveland.com)

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio – Dozens of dogs from Berea, Brook Park and Middleburg Heights had an off-the-leash, tail-wagging good time on July 14 when the Tri-City Bark Park gates opened for the first time.

The nearly 30,000-square-foot dog park at 18825 Sheldon Road has picnic tables, water stations, separate areas for large and small dogs, trees and plenty of room to run. It is located on the former Middleburg Heights Wastewater Treatment Plant property.

A multi-municipality partnership enabled the project to finally come to fruition for dog lovers in all three communities, particularly longtime dog park advocates Carl Burgio, a former Brook Park councilman, and Tim Ali, current at-large councilman in Middleburg Heights.

“All these years, we’ve been working on this and having lots of people helping,” Burgio said. “This day is phenomenal for me. I started in 2007 in Brook Park (to garner support for a dog park), and Tim started his efforts in Middleburg Heights before me.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the grand opening of the Tri-City Bark Park in Middleburg Heights. (Beth Mlady/special to cleveland.com)

Working collaboratively was the key.

“We just wanted an off-leash dog park in the community,” Burgio added. “It’s an asset and a social event, not only for the dogs but also for the people.”

Ali called the bark park “a dream come true.”

“This is exciting,” Ali told cleveland.com. “The park is going to be well used and will bring the animals and the people together.”

The water station was a popular stop for dogs and their humans. (Beth Mlady/special to cleveland.com)

He later welcomed the large crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting.

“This was a 20-year adventure, and Jeff Domonkos was with me since day one,” Ali explained. “Throughout this entire process, all the mayors and the councilpeople and the city hall people supported us. That is truly cooperative leadership for the people.”

Dogs and their owners mingled during the July 14 Tri-City Bark Park grand opening. (Beth Mlady/special to cleveland.com)

Future park amenities include an obstacle course, sun shades, a paw print walkway, a pavilion and an animal shelter.

“I truly appreciate everyone who made this dream come true,” Ali said. “We thank all of the residents who made this possible.”

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