IRVINE

Local dogs who yearn to frolic off-leash with canine pals may soon have grass and mulch play areas reserved especially for them if initial dog park designs win Community Services Commission approval tonight. The 2.8-acre Central Bark park, expected to open in the summer of 2000, will be the first off-leash play area for Irvine pooches, said Libby Cowan, community services superintendent. The park will be located off Oak Canyon Road between the city yard and a hazardous-household-waste collection facility. A task force of volunteers will ask the Community Services Commission to approve a no-frills fenced area with turf and a parking lot that can accommodate 26 vehicles. The price tag is estimated to be $205,000. “The grass turf will probably look more like ball-field grass than park grass,” Cowan said. “It’s designed to handle activity.” A gravel area with watering hoses and buckets will help canines cool off and rehydrate after a few trips around the park. The working group has asked the commission to allow more elaborate improvements to the park if construction bids come in lower than anticipated. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1 Civic Center Plaza.