St. Paul's second off-leash dog park has opened near the Mississippi River, underneath the High Bridge not far from downtown.
Mayor Chris Coleman and his dog, Roscoe, helped open the 7-acre site, located near the Upper Landing residential area. It's on the site of Xcel Energy's old coal plant site, which has been demolished.
Xcel still owns the land, but the city manages the park, which is fenced and double-gated, with a parking lot.
The city has another off-leash park on 4.5 acres at the corner of Arlington and Awkwright on St. Paul's East Side.
And if the money comes through, the city would like to put more off-leash parks at Lilydale Regional Park, Indian Mounds Regional Park, Meeker Island, Upper Hidden Falls and Lower Landing Park.
Judy Poferl, President and CEO, NSP-Minnesota, was at the opening, too, and said:
"Xcel Energy is delighted that the land we previously used to release the energy of coal is now a green space to release the energy of Saint Paul’s dogs."
Two Cities blog, which covers Minneapolis and St. Paul City Halls, is made possible in part by grants from The Saint Paul Foundation and the Carolyn Foundation.