Oak Island residents fight to keep dog park open

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — Dog lovers in Oak Island are trying to save the town’s only dog park after hearing that it would be closing.

According to Salty Dog Park’s Facebook page, the park is maintained by volunteers and the funds they raise. On June 10, they posted that the park would be closing on August 1 due to a lack of volunteers.

Since then, more than 70 comments have been posted by people asking what they can do to help save the park.

Kristin Ilchert says she brings her dog to the park often, and is doing what she can to stop it from shutting down.

“We were told that there were holes and leaves and stuff, and nobody was here to help, but nobody has asked for any help,” Ilchert said. “90 percent of us or more didn’t even know it was volunteer-run.”

A sign tells supporters of the dog park to attend a meeting on June 20th.
(Photo: Matt Bennett/WWAY)

Ilchert says there’s been some confusion about when the public can voice their support for the park. She says she plans on attending a Parks and Recreation meeting on Thursday.

The official dog park Facebook page says to voice concerns at a town council meeting on July 18.