LONG BEACH — City councilors put their money where their mouth is last week, voting to contract for work on a dog park after they decided to move forward with the long-pursued venture earlier this year.

On a 4-1 vote, the Long Beach City Council voted at its April 21 meeting to authorize Mayor Sue Svendsen to enter into an agreement with Elma-based LaDue Fencing to put up fencing around the site of the future dog park, which will be located near the Bolstad beach approach’s public restrooms.

Seven companies submitted bids for the fencing project, and LaDue Fencing came in with the lowest bid at $26,670 — below what the city expected, which was closer to $30,000.

The move comes three months after the council decided to establish a dog park following an early January workshop, where supporters and opponents made their pitch. Opening a dog park has been kicked around by various Long Beach councilors and officials over the past 15 years, if not longer.

Long Beach City Administrator David Glasson said the goal is for LaDue Fencing to begin work on the project in early May and to be wrapped up by mid-June. Other tasks that need to be tackled include procuring new signage and stocking up on garbage and pet litter bags, which Glasson hopes can also be completed around the middle of June.

Regulations adopted

Councilors in last week’s meeting also voted 4-1 to approve an ordinance establishing rules and regulations for the dog park.

The ordinance outlaws typical disobedience issues such as fighting — for both dogs and people — and harassment, as well as using “foul, obscene, offensive, or fighting words” within the dog park. Smoking is also forbidden, as is the possession of a knife or other dangerous weapon.

Use of the park is limited from dawn to dusk, and all dogs must be leashed when entering and exiting the park. Owners must immediately clean their dog’s waste, and also must remove their dog from the park if it is sick, in heat, or being aggressive.

The first offense for violators includes a three-day ban from the park, which escalates to a seven-day ban for second-time offenders. Those with three or more offenses will be banned from the park for 30 days, with all written violation and penalty notifications being delivered by a Long Beach police officer.

“An officer having probable cause to believe a violation of this Ordinance has occurred may detain a person long enough to write and deliver the notification required herein,” the ordinance states. Criminal trespassing charges can also be filed against violators who do not abide by the ban.

Violators may appeal to the Long Beach city administrator, currently Glasson, and are entitled to a hearing within 24 hours.