Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs will be joined by local philanthropist Randy Boyd and other elected officials to break ground on what will become Knox County’s newest dog park.

The public is invited to attend the event, which will be held at Beverly Park, 5311 Beverly Park Circle, at noon on Monday, November 15.

The county plans to build five new dog parks within the next couple of years thanks to a contest and grant program initiated and funded by the Boyd Family Foundation. The proposal – dubbed the Knox Neighborhood Dog Parks Plan – was designed to make Knox County No. 1 in dog parks per capita in the nation. The county is ranked No. 29 currently.

A contest was held last year, and residents chose to build dog parks at Beverly Park, New Harvest Park, the SportsPark, Powell Station Park, and Clayton Park, though specific park locations may be updated if the need arises.

The Boyd Family Foundation then agreed to donate $250,000 to build the parks. However, they are expected to cost much more, so the county is kicking in an additional $150,000.