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Bloomington a Finalist in the $100,000 'Bark for Your Park' Online Voting Contest

Last updated on Thursday, June 21, 2012

(BLOOMINGTON) - Pet supply company PetSafe announced today that Bloomington gathered enough online votes in the preliminary round of the “Bark for Your Park” contest to reach the finals.

Fourteen other cities - the top vote-getters in the nationwide contest - have also reached the finals, which is again centered around an online voting competition. This new portion of the contest runs now through July 31, and the city that gathers the most online votes during the next one and a half months will win the $100,000 grand prize for the construction of a new dog park.

Community members can vote for their favorite city twice each day, from June 15 through July 31 on both Facebook and the PetSafe Web site. Visit www.bloomington.in.gov/bark for the links to each voting site.

The City of Bloomington is also creating a two-minute video to show its community's enthusiasm for a new dog park. The video will be posted to the PetSafe Web site on June 29, and the city whose video receives the most views will receive 1,000 additional votes.

The timing of the "Bark for Your Park" contest is perfect, according to City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation community events manager Becky Barrick-Higgins

"Back in 2001, Steve Ferguson generously donated 19 acres of land valued at $250,000, plus $50,000 in cash, to help make a dog park a reality," she said. "We've gone through the planning and permitting processes and we are ready to build. The $100,000 grand prize from PetSafe will help us realize Steve's vision for a safe, free and accessible dog park for all the dogs of Bloomington."

The unofficial dog park at the base of Griffy Lake dam will be closed starting next month to facilitate repairs to the Griffy Lake dam and spillway, underscoring the need for a new dog park.

According to Barrick-Higgins, the City of Bloomington must overcome a 10,000 vote deficit in order to catch the contest leaders. The online votes are counted cumulatively, meaning all the preliminary votes will count toward the final total.

"We are confident that our dog-loving community will embrace this contest, and help us spread the word," Barrick-Higgins said. "We know the people of Bloomington love their dogs, and we know that dogs love to play in dog parks. It's a perfect combination!"

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