Sunday’s grand opening of the Adel Dog Park drew a dog-loving crowd to 1800 S. 15th St. in Adel, where members of Adel Girl Scout Troop 505 completed their bronze project and celebrated the many hours of work that went into the park’s creation.
“I am very proud of the team work and dedication these four young ladies had this year,” said Adel Girl Scout Troop 505 Leader Jackie Giles of Adel. “And it goes to show no matter how young you are, big things are possible. It only takes the courage to ask to make things possible.”
Adel Mayor Jim Peters attended the grand opening and praised the girls for their hard work and vision.
“I want to thank you for this dog park,” Peters said. “I remember when we first talked about the idea, and this it totally impressive.”
Visitors to the 2 p.m. grand opening enjoyed cupcakes, water, homemade dog ties, dog tattoos, stickers and even dog biscuits for the four-legged folks in attendance. John McAvoy of Adel was the master of ceremonies.
The year-long dog park project was spearheaded by four 11-year-old Scouts from Adel, Kylie Shafer, Rebecca Yanacheak, Piper Giles and Rachel Helm. Troop 505 worked hard all year to raise funds, first making and then selling hundreds of dog pillows, dog blankets, tie toys, homemade dog biscuits, homemade laundry detergent and even cat toys.
The girls received a lot of community support for their fundraising, including the Adel Rotary Club, Adel Lions Club, American Legion, Adel Kiwanis Club, Harvey’s Greenhouse, the Adel Family Fun Center and many other individuals and groups.
They had help in designing the park from Chris Shire and Shannon Gapp, engineers with Confluence, a Des Moines-based landscape design and urban planning company. Shire and Gapp brainstormed with the girls and even drew up the sketch.
The girls are not done yet, however, and plan to attend a pet expo in October, where they hope to raise enough money to add a butterfly garden and more benches to the dog park, pending city approval.
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