Bark Park to be closed on Dec. 20 for maintenance

ALAMOGORDO - The Alamogordo Bark Park on Fairgrounds Road will close on Thursday, Dec. 20, so city crews can do maintenance on the park's grounds.

According to City Park Supervisor Erik Marion, the park will undergo core aeration, a process that removes small “cores” of soil from the ground to increase the soil’s permeability. The process helps improve water percolation through the soil and reduces compaction, thereby increasing the amount of oxygen available to plants and promoting better uptake of nutrients, he said.

Core aeration also helps to loosen the soil, a necessary step at a park like the Bark Park as the heavy amounts of foot- and paw-traffic compacts the soil, Marion said. The loosened soil likewise promotes the growth of turf grasses and reduces the competition from weeds, he said.

The city expects to aerate the bark park about once a month, Marion said. Beyond the full-day closure on Dec. 20, he expects the park to be closed for a minimum of two hours on the days when aeration occurs. He said hopes to have the park back open to public by noon on those days.

The Bark Park was opened in 2006 after numerous requests from Alamogordo residents, according to the City of Alamogordo.

The Bark Park is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. but it is closed on Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon for maintenance.

All dogs are welcome at the park, though they should be kept on leashes until inside the park’s fences. Waste receptacles are on site, but dog caretakers should bring their own dog waste bags.

For information, contact the Parks Department at 575-439-4139 or through email via emarion@ci.alamogordo.nm.us.