By Brandon HENSLEY

Drivers passing Crescenta Valley Park over the past month have noticed new construction in the northwest end of the parking lot. Rest easy, dog-lovers, the work is for you and your pet.

After months of delays, the construction of L.A. County’s first owned and operated dog park broke ground Nov. 28. County officials have said the park is expected to open sometime in April.

“I’m so ecstatic,” said Cheryl Davis, CV Town Council president and member of the community group CV Dogs, which has been advocating for a dog park for since 2007. “I drive by there every other day and take pictures.”

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a $645,000 appropriation for the dog park last July. It will be roughly 1.5 acres, composed of granite – not grass – and feature two areas: for large and small dogs each. It will also have a hose-off area.

Scheduling for when the construction was supposed to start and when it was to open has been an issue for the County. It was originally set to break ground last August and open this March. However, Davis pointed out some of the obstacles – namely compliance problems – that had to be overcome before work could begin.

“It runs along the wash right there, which is Flood Control Property,” she said. “And then there were some ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliancy issues, that I think they have to upgrade the bathrooms in the community center. That’s kind of what the delay was, but they’ve gotten through all of that now, so we’re good to go.”

Phone calls to L.A. County Parks and Rec were not immediately returned.

Davis even said some residents were confused because construction didn’t start in August. She said they thought maybe L.A. County meant August of this year.

“I tell them, ‘No, no, they’re doing construction right now,’” Davis said. She also gets emails from people asking what the status is, and she said she’s happy to write back that progress is now being made.

“The winds [last month] blew over all of the temporary fencing they had over there,” Davis said. “But they think if there’s not a lot of rain this winter they could be done by late April. They’re still shooting for the spring of 2012. We’re very close.”

CV Dogs President John Klose is very pleased at the progress.

“Every time I walk my dog in Montrose the only question I hear is, ‘When is the dog park coming?’” he said.

Klose and Davis have worked with the CV Town Council, L.A. Parks and Rec, and Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s office over the years to get this park here.

“This is, believe it or not, a political issue,” Klose said. “You have lots of people that are competing for different funds. So things moved kind of slowly, but each group has been excellent to work with and each one has shown us a lot of support, so we’re very grateful for that.”

  Brandon Hensley, Leonard Coutin