Three dog runs recently opened as part of a new quality-of-life project at Camp Zama, Japan, April 10, 2024. The project was a yearlong effort to revamp a vacant area in the former Hawk’s Way housing area, which also includes a nearly half-mile walking path for community members.
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Three dog runs recently opened as part of a new quality-of-life project at Camp Zama, Japan, April 10, 2024. The project was a yearlong effort to revamp a vacant area in the former Hawk’s Way housing area, which also includes a nearly half-mile walking path for community members.
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Three dog runs recently opened as part of a new quality-of-life project at Camp Zama, Japan, April 10, 2024. The project was a yearlong effort to revamp a vacant area in the former Hawk’s Way housing area, which also includes a nearly half-mile walking path for community members.
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Dog owners now have more places to play fetch with their furry best friends after the Directorate of Public Works recently opened three new dog runs here.
The project was part of a yearlong effort to revamp a vacant area in the former Hawk’s Way housing area, which also includes a nearly half-mile walking path for community members.
Andrew Malinich, chief of the Building and Grounds Branch at DPW, said the project involved multiple teams and took over 12,000 man-hours to complete.
“It’s really great to see a project of this size and for us to be able to do it in-house versus sending it to a contractor,” he said. “Our guys have a lot of skills, and they are able to show it in instances like this.”
Malinich said the area, called Hawk’s Way Dog Park, has three fenced-in dog runs for small, medium and large dogs, along with pet water fountains to ensure dogs stay refreshed as they run around.
U.S. Army Garrison Japan officials initially planned the shared community space after 16 fourplex buildings were demolished a few years ago, clearing a parcel of land on the installation’s MacArthur Road.
“The idea is a community area for everybody to go to and just enjoy themselves and let their dogs off leash in a controlled environment,” said Michael Hammond, the garrison’s installation manager.
Previously, the only dog runs on the installation were located further away next to the water treatment plant behind Zama Middle High School.
Hammond also said dogs are not allowed in community areas, such as Dewey Park, due to health and safety rules.
“So, there wasn’t really a [dedicated] place for people to walk their dogs,” he said.
Cherry blossom trees line a walking path that was recently built as part of a new quality-of-life project that also included three dog runs at Camp Zama, Japan, April 10, 2024.
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A variety of trees line a walking path that was recently built as part of a new quality-of-life project that also included three dog runs at Camp Zama, Japan, April 10, 2024.
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The new park lets community members bring their dog to the picnic areas and footpath, which has pet relief stations with bags supplied by DPW.
“All we ask is that people pick up after their pets and keep the area nice [so that] everybody can enjoy it,” Hammond said.
The timeline for the entire project was a bit expedited with help from an Air Force partner.
To save funds on the park, garrison officials reached out to surrounding units to see if they could assist with materials for the footpath. The 374th Civil Engineer Squadron at Yokota Air Base had just finished crushing concrete for another project and volunteered to donate and deliver it to Camp Zama.
Malinich estimated that the unit provided about 80% of the fill material for the walking path.
“If it wasn’t for them doing that, we would probably still be working on the path,” he said. “They saved us that much time and money.”
Malinich also said he was impressed by the willingness of DPW employees to go above and beyond in this project as well as others they tackle on a regular basis.
“A lot of these things are thankless jobs,” he said. “They’re just out there plugging away and they’re not looking for a pat on the back. But it’s always nice to recognize them and thank them for what they do.”
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This article, Dog-Friendly Park Boosts Quality of Life, was originally published by The Army .