Tonganoxie Recreation Commission director Brad Eccles has been working with Hill’s Pet Nutrition on plans for multi-use park in Tonganoxie.

Eccles discussed the potential project during Monday’s City Council meeting.

Though much still needs to be planned, Eccles presented preliminary plans for the dog park and natural playground, which as of now could cover about 2 acres along the Chieftain Trail sidewalk path along County Road 5. If the park comes to fruition, it would be situated on 6 acres of land across CR5 to the west of the former Meadows Construction.

TRC purchased about 6 acres in 2022 for $50,000 with an eye on expansion of the recreation commission’s parks. Chieftain Park actually is west of the land on the other side of Tonganoxie Creek.

Rendering by Gray Construction

While TRC was looking at how to utilize that land, Hill’s Pet Nutrition was building a $250 million 300,000 square-foot manufacturing facility at Tonganoxie Business Park.

Since then, Hill’s officials approached Eccles about a partnership and to discuss ways the company could give back to the community.

Enter the dog park and natural playground concept for that tract of land.

Gray Construction has been working with Hill’s and TRC to develop a plan for the area.

Eccles said he envisioned the area being for multi-purpose use. That means that, in addition to the large-dog and small-dog enclosed play areas, there would be a natural playground. It wouldn’t have swings or slides, but perhaps similar portions of Lawn at Legends Outlets community green space in Kansas City, Kan.

“This would be more of a space kids you use imagination to play,” Eccles explained during an interview earlier Monday. “Playing tag and climbing on a rock; running up hills.”

The current concept also includes a shelter house and another covered area near the dog parks, along with a parking lot.

No specific price tags have been hammered out for the proposed park as Hill’s works to help fund the future project.

It also could happen in phases. The project eventually would go before the Tonganoxie Planning Commission before coming back to the City Council for final approval.

As for the rest of the acreage, it’s situated on a floodplain, so that will serve as more TRC green space for the foreseeable future.

“It’s been on our list of things we’ve heard from the community and things they’d like to see and it just clicked,” Eccles said about residents’ desire for a dog park combined with Hill’s intentions to give back to the community.