The philanthropist
Last weekend, the City of El Centro held an opening ceremony for its latest and only park for residents’ four-legged, furry family members.
The $1.1 million Park Avenue project was almost half made possible by a significant, generous donation from philanthropist and businessman Phil Heald and his wife Elise.
Having traveled to San Diego beaches, Mr. Heald came up with the idea of having a local park for canines where they could be taken and leased off. With time, the businessman observed having dog parks developed around.
“We can’t have a beach dog park,” Heald told me in an interview, “but we can have a grass thing that’s fenced for the safeness of the dogs.”
After discussing the project with few others, Mr. Heald found out other residents had similar ideas. About three years ago, the philanthropist reached out to his friends with Duggins Construction, which built about 20 of his store buildings for the Imperial Hardware Company. Along with Oscar Grijalva, the company’s head of the design department, the project costs and other issues were addressed and the park kept moving.
Heald said building the dog park on private property would have cost nowhere near the price tag paid for by the donation and Measure P funds due to being constructed on city property. Next, Heald approached the Library Board, and the $1 million cost was first unveiled.
The Healds then decided to contribute half a million dollars from the foundation started by Phil’s grandfather Howard Meyer back in the early 1900s if the City of El Centro paid the rest of the needed funds.
“We’ve had very little participation from private donors so far because maybe they didn’t believe it was going to happen,” Heald, who has had around 12 dogs in his life and whose family has been horse lovers as well, added in the interview.
One of the most remembered dogs by the Healds was Otto, a German Shepherd purchased in the South that was inclined to jump over fences. Although is unable to be unfaithful to all the wonderful dogs he’s had, for Phil his preferred one is the eight-year-old Wheaten Terrier the couple has now and their second ever.
“He’s a member of their family, just like your kids,” Heald said regarding the strong bond between humans and pets, adding dogs take training better than children do without any back talk. “And maybe you cherish them more because you know they’re not going to live as long as you do.”
Originally, Heald suggested naming the project Pups that Play Dog Park, which went misinterpreted. From his perspective, the US probably has a hundred parks named Bark Park, a quarter of which are in the Golden State. Also, Heald came up with the idea of calling the ribbon cutting ceremony leash cutting as residents will be doing so – bringing their beloved dogs and releasing them into a safe place.
In the interview, Mr. Heald assured he plans to take his dog to the park and walk through the cement driveway or let her run loose for a while.
During her speech, Mrs. Heald acknowledged former City Mayor Cheryl Viegas-Walker (who is also a dog lover) for her support to make sure the dog park came to fruition. At the same time, Mr. Heald recognized former
City Manager Marcela Piedra and her successor Cedric Cesena for helping the project move forward until last week’s opening.
In recognition of their generous support, a plaque commemorating the philanthropic spirit of Phil and Elise Heald, the park’s largest donor, will adorn the park, highlighting their family’s legacy and invaluable contribution to this community-driven initiative, the City of El Centro said. Adelante Valle Editor Arturo Bojórquez can be reached at abojorquez@ivpressonline.com or (760) 335-4646.