STANWOOD — Landon Mc-Inelly hasn’t started high school yet, but he’s halfway done with building the city’s first dog park.
Landon, 14, chose to build a dog area at Heritage Park, 9600 276th St., for his Eagle Scout Project. He became a Cub Scout when he was 8 years old, a Boy Scout when he was 12 and has earned all of the merit badges he needs as an Eagle Scout. The service project is his final piece.
When he was looking for a project, he asked the mayor for ideas. The dog park was his favorite option. He doesn’t have a dog of his own but thinks a lot of people in town would use the park with their pets.
“I felt like that would be the most useful thing. People were wanting it, a lot of them,” Landon said. “I’m hoping that it looks really nice and that people start using it a lot.”
The first work party to build the park was Aug. 23. Landon and about 10 volunteers put in posts for the fence.
A second work party is scheduled for Saturday to finish fencing in the dog park. Anyone who wants to help should show up with gloves, hammers and be dressed for the weather. The work is expected to start around 9 a.m. Landon and his volunteer crew need to put in the top rail, bottom rail and wire for the fence, said Debby McInelly, Landon’s mom.
The dog park is about 56 feet by 80 feet. At first, it’ll be a simple fenced area for off-leash use. Eventually, volunteers hope to add a shelter and some benches. Donations can be made through the Stanwood Chamber of Commerce for the Stanwood Dog Park.
Landon started rounding up donations a few months ago for the first phase of the dog park.
“He’s just a really outgoing, friendly person,” Debby Mc-Inelly said. “I think everybody likes Landon. He’s just a people person.”
The goal is to have the park done before the weather turns stormy in the fall, Landon said. If enough volunteers show up Saturday, they should be able to finish the fence that day.
The first work party got him excited about the project after months of planning.
“It felt really good,” he said. “It felt like I was actually getting a lot more done than doing it by myself.”
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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