Regular users of the dog park at Thomas Park in Sterling were barking up the right tree Wednesday night as they discussed concerns and talked about fundraising plans.

A core group of Dogwood Bark dog park members met at the Duis Center, along with representatives from the Sterling Park District, to discuss issues related to the park.

Signage, parking and dog waste pickup were among the top concerns, while the group discussed how fundraising would look for projects such as a shelter and additional seating at the park.

“The signage is kind of small. It doesn’t jump out and smack you in the face, and it should be something that jumps out, that says you signed up for this, you’re utilizing the park, and we want you to be responsible for this,” Joe Gatz, who enjoys the park with his mini Goldendoodle puppies, Romeo and Juliet, told the park district representatives.

Jana Jacobs, director of parks and planning; Stephanie Milnes, Duis Center manager; and Ryan Stutzke, maintenance manager, represented the park district.

Gatz said larger signage is needed to remind Dogwood Bark’s human patrons to clean up after their dogs.

“We all know it’s a dog park, but we kind of measure our days by how many bags we pick up. It’s something to do while the dogs are playing, but it’s not our favorite thing to do,” Gatz said.

Jacobs and Stutzke thanked Gatz and the others for cleaning up the waste so that park district personnel don’t encounter it while mowing or trimming weeds.

Signage also came up when Hannah Goebig and Dale Goodall, who enjoy the park with their dogs, Ozai, a husky, and Sandor, a black lab, discussed cigarette butts littering the park.

“We are aware that people choose to ignore signage, but we do know of one regular visitor who will smoke in the dog park. Maybe a bigger no-smoking, no-vaping sign would help,” Goebig said.

“We can do that, but we are going to get those people who say, ‘but we’re outside.’ They do that at the baseball fields, ‘but we’re outside.’ But we will work on the signage,” Jacobs said.

Goodall said the major issue of concern with smoking is cigarette butts littering the park.

“We find the cigarette butts that the dogs try to get,” he said.

Marshall Doane of Rock Falls, who enjoys Dogwood Acres with his dogs, Cyrus, a German shepherd/border collie/chow mix, and Raven, a German shepherd, asked if the park could include a sample of its namesake.

“Dogwood Bark is the name of the park. However, most peculiarly and importantly, there are no dogwood trees there. How can I donate a white dogwood tree and, if I donate it, can I put it closer to the park?” Doane asked.

Trees have been a point of concern for dog park users after a large tree in the dog park was cut down to make room for additional parking at Thomas Park. Jacobs said any tree planting would have to be done with mowing in mind and that Stutzke would handle tree placement.

In answer to a question about lighting the park, Jacobs said that neither the new pickleball courts at Thomas Park nor the dog park will receive any additional lighting.

“The parks officially close at dark and because it’s a residential area, we will not install any additional lighting,” Jacobs said.

The group also discussed how to organize and what fundraising for amenities such as dog drinking fountains and a permanent shelter with additional seating might look like. Those wishing to use the dog park pay an annual fee and receive a key fob that unlocks the gate to the park. Jacobs said there currently are around 200 registered dog park users.

Gatz thanked the park board for the dog park and for following up with regular users about concerns and opportunities for the park.

“I am so thankful for the park,” Gatz said. “We want you to be as happy that we have the dog park as much as we are happy for having the dog park. I had dogs before we had the dog park, and we got the dog park, and they enjoyed it. Now I have puppies and I’m back. I am very thankful for all that you do, and it’s really beneficial. We’ve met some really good friends through the dog park.”