Bids all came in too high for the Shreveport dog park. One of the problems is the high price of the fence the city is requiring for the 5 acre park. Cynthia Keith with the Shreveport Dog Park Alliance tells KEEL News why the city wants a 6 foot fence.

"The city spoke with many of the successful dog parks in the country and they came up with best practices and looking at the safety point of view, it wouldn't hurt. But for me personally, I think it's a bit excessive."

What will happen now with the bids? If the low bidder can not work out a deal with the city, the bids could all be rejected and new bids solicited.

Keith added more about the fencing requirement: "The city has been adamant about not wanting any sort of chain link fence. We wanted a black vinyl chain link fence, but they said a lawnmower could hit it and bow it out. Ultimately, we want what is safe for the dogs."

We asked Keith about some of the items she wants to see maintained in the bid package: "Well there are certain things that every dog park needs. Some of the things we want to make sure we keep are benches, shading, water fountains, waste stations to pick up things. Those are standard."

And she adds: "one of the features that this dog park has that we hope to keep is the quarter of a mile walking trail. That's really a good thing. People like to get in dog parks and just walk laps."

Spar Director Shelly Ragle joins us on KEEL Friday morning at 7:10 to talk about what will happen now with the bids.

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