How do I find the dog park?
The sign at the WAG park in Whitefish. Photo originally published in Oprah Magazine.
Countless visitors with canines ask this question. The simple answer: Go east on E. Second Street and you’ll see it. Of course, they easily find it given the metal letters “DOG PARK” on the concrete culvert lid facing the street. In 2014, the letters were expertly crafted by Whitefish High School students and are colored Bulldog green.
Recall, the park included a small pond, fed by artesian water, but was hidden behind overgrown vegetation and surrounded by a high cyclone fence. In 2014, the fencing, excess vegetation and many yards of dirt were removed, to create a significantly larger and deeper pond. Attractive rocks and two gravel beaches were also created. During the pond expansion project, a concrete culvert and lid were discovered and moved to their current location with the letters installed on the lid… easily visible from E 2nd Street.
During the 10 years lifespan the “DOG PARK” letters have not generated a single complaint to officials. However, a new city sign is being installed at the nearby corner of E. Second Street and Dodger Lane. Because of this, the city’s sign code requires the “DOG PARK” letters must not be visible from E. Second Street. Officials have allowed the lid to remain, but plan to rotate it180 degrees to only be visible inside the park.
Do all signs in our city meet the sign code? No. There's at least one very visible example that surfaced in 2011, three years before the “DOG PARK” letters were installed. The matter came to the attention of officials that the Great Northern Brewing Co. had signs (including the large neon one) that exceeded the number and square footage allowed under the new sign code. The council deemed it an exception as “artwork.”
The concrete culvert lid with “DOG PARK” letters received wide attention in the May 2018 edition of Oprah’s magazine. The dog park was recognized as being one of the top three versions in America. Included in the article was a picture of the concrete culver lid and letters.
In the ten years since installation, the “DOG PARK” letters have guided countless visitors and have never been the subject of a complaint. Surely the letters produced by Whitefish High School students also meet the “artwork” standard and a variance issued.
I recommend people contact Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Whitefish Maria Butts for questions or comments.
— Bruce Aronson, Whitefish