Residents, staff, members of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, and community members met at The Lakes of Valparaiso on Tuesday to celebrate the opening of Trail Park with a ribbon cutting. The new park brings even more recreation to residents, offering a tennis court, basketball court, two sand volleyball courts, and a bark park.
Residents were excited for the new amenities and arrived with dogs in tow for the chance to be one of the first to try out the new bark park. These amenities have been highly anticipated, making their opening even more exciting.
“We’ve got our Trail Park grand-opening and we are so excited for the bark park, the volleyball courts, and the basketball court to be open and available for everyone to use,” explained Amanda Carney, Community Manager for the Lakes of Valparaiso. “We’ve started to get to the end of our construction. It’s one of those last little fun pieces and one of the last amenities that’s opening so we’re really excited for our residents to have everything available.”
In addition to the ribbon cutting celebration, those in attendance received a goody bag for the dogs, filled with freebies from Healthi Paws, a Valpo-based pet boutique and Vale Park Animal Hospital. Attendees also received free pizza from the Rolling Stonebaker, enjoyed time to speak with the staff from Vale Park Animal Hospital, and were able to participate in a doggy swim.
“After the ribbon cutting we’re going to have a doggy swim before we close the pool for the year,” explained Angela Fielder, Vice President of Real Estate Operations for Weiss Entities, the firm that owns The Lakes of Valparaiso. “This is the first year, but we want to make it a tradition.”
The many amenities and fun events continue to draw people into this vibrant community. Since the apartments do not enforce a weight restriction, breeds of all sizes were in attendance for the event and able to take part in the festivities. For Christine Omahen and her pup Gracie, the amenities drew them into the community, and the new park and friendly staff continue to impress them.
“I love it here,” explained Omahen. “We picked this place because of the amenities and what it had. Even though we take Gracie for a walk three to four times a day, she has this energy, and she used to have a backyard. To have her able to run and get that exercise, and to meet other dogs as well, it’s wonderful. Dogs are part of families, so it’s great that they think of that.”
Overall, the ribbon cutting and opening was a successful event with many anticipating the wonderful things this community has to offer. With the addition of courts to make an active lifestyle more easily accessible, many are optimistic that the quality of life in the community will continue to improve.
“I think our residents are active and we have so many things that tie into that active lifestyle, so it’s nice to have even more that ties into those amenities,” said Fielder. “We’re always looking for ways to add so they can truly enjoy their lifestyle here.”
Humans and dogs alike enjoyed their time at the park and the ability to meet many others. For those partaking in the swim, they enjoyed the first of what they hope to be an annual tradition each year as the pool is closed, and for everyone else, it proved to be an enjoyable occasion full of new experiences.
For more information about the Lakes of Valparaiso, visit http://www.lovthelife.com
