As spring temperatures return to Warren County, dog owners officially have a place to take their pets for a little outdoor exercise.

The Vicksburg Dog Park officially opened Friday morning with a ribbon cutting. The park is located at the Vicksburg Municipal Airport on U.S. 61 South along with the community garden and walking trail.

The park was the project of the 2017 Leadership Vicksburg class and includes a small and large dog enclosure and is free and open to the public.

“It is really exciting to see the end, but we are really excited to see when the citizens come out here and use it,” leadership class member Angie Barnette said. “The process was tough, but that was what we learned through our leadership program is how to work through the tough. Whenever we got an obstacle, we found a solution and another way to do it.”

The park was paid for and will be maintained by the city of Vicksburg. Mayor George Flaggs Jr. announced before cutting the ribbon that the city is looking to support the construction of a second dog park downtown.

“It enhances the opportunity for people to have a complete way of life,” Flaggs said. “It is good for health awareness and that coincides with the culture of health prize award.”

Flaggs said he already has a couple possible sites downtown in mind and would like to see one built as part of the city’s goal to provide the small quality of life to residents in the north and south parts of the city.

“Culturally, we still have to make certain in the city because we have a north and south ward system of government, we have to make certain the same quality of life opportunities presented in the south ward, we must present them in the north ward. That makes for a complete city,” Flaggs said.