I have a confession to make. I have lived in Sparks a better part of my life, I drive by the Sparks Marina almost daily, and I have never taken the time to walk around it and check it out. I’ve looked at the homes on the Marina and been to the restaurants and shops, but that is about it.
My wife and I have a new puppy that is full of energy and loves water. A friend of ours told us about the fenced in dog area and said their dogs love it. I thought what the heck we should check it out. Besides, the same walk around the neighborhood gets old after a while.
I must say I was impressed.
The entire Marina area was very well done, and clean. The dog park was great. Fully fenced and room to run. There were several people throwing balls in the water for their dogs to fetch. Dogs of all shapes and sizes were running around and having fun. Outside the dog park and on the paths, there were plenty of people around walking, jogging, and biking so we felt safe.
If you don’t know the history of the Sparks Marina, here is a quick overview. The Sparks Marina was once just a gravel pit, owned and operated by Helms Construction from 1968 to 1995. Helms Construction eventually gave the Gravel Pit site to the city of Sparks. The city needed to do some clean up of the area due to some contamination by some fuel storage tanks near by. In the mean time city officials were trying to decide what to do with the area. Along came the flood of 1997 and the “pit” filled with water and became a small lake. Mother Nature made the decision easy, and the Sparks Marina was born. The city of Sparks should be commended on the development.
If you haven’t had a chance to visit this not-so-hidden gem is Sparks, you should.
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