Cheswick Eagle Scout opens dog park in Agan Park in honor of dad

A Cheswick Boy Scout fulfilled his mission of helping the community and honoring his dad through opening a dog park for his Eagle Scout project.

Residents can bring their dogs for a fun time at the new Daniel R. Tabacheck Memorial Dog Park at Agan Park in Springdale Township. Dogs can socialize, climb and roam freely around the the 50-yard by 50-yard fenced area. It has a double gate so that dogs can enter and leave in an orderly manner.

August Tabacheck, 17, unveiled his project Saturday at 9 a.m. in front of a crowd of more than 100 residents from the Lower Valley. Tabacheck named the park after his father, who died in 2018.

”Although Dad isn’t here to celebrate this special occasion with us,” August said, “he will always be rooted in the park. Happy birthday, Dad.”

August’s mother, Colleen, enjoyed seeing how motivated August was to create something for his dad.

“I am super proud of him,” she said.

The addition of a dog park is a relief for dog owners who had nowhere close to give their pets some playtime.

“It’ll be great having this park because my dog will learn how to socialize,” said Brittni Bair, of Springdale.

Michelle Ingrodi moved from Maryland to Springdale in April. She was used to a dog park being right beside where she lived. Ingrodi counted down the days until the Tabacheck Memorial Dog Park was going to open because her dogs had a hard time not being out and about.

“My dogs have been really depressed because we didn’t have anything like this, so this is awesome,” Ingrodi said.

The idea for a dog park came from a conversation August had with his dad in 2017 about his Eagle Scout project. They both wanted it to be something special to them and the community. His family had recently adopted two dogs.

“I wanted to create something that fit everyone’s needs and be beneficial,” August said. “I knew that this is what I was going to do.”

To help pay for materials, a GoFundMe was set up. August was able to raise over $5,000, including donations from the Springdale Energy power plant and small businesses in the area.

August said the project took 1,000 hours to complete. Friends, family and community members spent a month dedicating 10 hours a day to construct the park.

The project took a year to complete from concept to construction.

The Agan Park Committee will maintain the park but August said he will step in and help when necessary.

“It makes me feel good that I could do something like this for the community,” he said.