Runway Dog Park To Close In November, County Looks For New Park Spot

MILWAUKEE, WI — After around 15 years of operating on the southern parts of Milwaukee Mitchell Airport land, Runway Dog Park will close in November, Milwaukee County Parks announced this week.

The airport owns the land, and amid a recent review of the airport's master plan, the Federal Aviation Administration determined the park is not an aviation-related activity — meaning the continued use of the park would put federal funding for the airport at risk, county parks said in a statement posted online. So the park will close on Nov. 1.

Officials were looking for a solution to the closure as early as April, and the possibility of relocating the park. At this point, park officials are looking for public input as to where a replacement park could go.

RELATED: Authorities Seek Solutions After Future Of Runway Dog Park Questioned

"We understand how frustrating it is to lose a much-loved amenity, so we have included funding in the 2023 parks budget for a study to look at our parkland in the county, to identify any other sites that could be a suitable replacement for Runway Dog Park," reads the county parks website.

Anyone with input on the location for a new dog park can use the county parks website to place a pin on a virtual map.

Recent revisions for the airport's master plan have called for new facilities nearby the park. One long-range plan called for a new cargo and maintenance facility in the Milwaukee Regional Business Park, just north of the dog park off of Howell Avenue.