Austintown Bark Park leads way for growth at township's park off Kirk Road

AUSTINTOWN

The township park has seen more traffic recently as new offerings, such as a dog park, combined with renovations have more people interested in using the 212 public acres.

Sam Martauz, a Youngstown State University education major, said she has been bringing her 3-year old chocolate lab to the half-acre dog park within the township park since last year. “Its the best thing ever. I get home and he hits the tile. That’s the only reason I come out here,” she said.

Martauz added that she usually lets her dog, Luke, run for 45 minutes to an hour. She also said that she began walking her dog along some of the trails of the park, which she discovered after coming to the fenced in dog park.

Todd Shaffer, township parks supervisor, said the dog park was built last fall, with $36,000 coming from the estate of Marjorie Hartman to go specifically toward a dog park. He said she was an Austintown resident and when the estate lawyer approached the township, it moved forward with the dog park.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindycom.