New Bark Park brings outdoor fun for all in Dayton

A new park in Dayton is turning heads—and wagging tails. Bark Park, located in the Villages at Westpointe, offers a welcoming space for the entire community to gather, play, and enjoy the outdoors, with features designed for both people and their canine pets.

The park features two gated dog parks, one designed for small dogs and the other for larger breeds. There’s also a children’s playground, basketball goal, pickleball court, volleyball court, and a washer and ring toss area, providing a wide range of options for play and relaxation. Benches are scattered throughout, and the ample parking makes it easy for visitors to come and go.

A walking trail alongside the park can also be used by cyclists with off-road tires, offering even more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.

The park was developed by Charles Von Schmidt, the developer behind the Villages at Westpointe. He said the vision for the space was to encourage more people in Dayton to get outside and be active, especially in a time when screen time often dominates free time. Growing up, he recalled, weekends and summers were about heading outside first thing in the morning and coming home only for lunch—or not at all, if you were lucky enough to be fed at a friend’s house.

“We’re trying to create an atmosphere here where kids can go out and play,” he said, “and they can bring their dogs along.”

That mindset carried over into every detail of the park’s design. For the dog areas, Von Schmidt rejected standard metal equipment, recognizing that Texas summers would make those materials unsafe for dogs’ paws. Instead, he opted for custom-built wood structures, which are more paw-friendly and visually appealing. The landscaping also includes grass and plants chosen for their ability to withstand dog urine—another small but important detail that shows how much thought went into making the park pet-friendly.

“It was the strangest thing when we started looking at equipment,” he said. “A lot of it was made of metal. I looked at that and said, ‘That’s going to burn their feet.’ The people who made that equipment are obviously not from Texas. If we had gotten the metal equipment, the dogs wouldn’t have wanted to come back to the park. At the very least, they would talk really bad about you that night with other dogs,” he added with a laugh.

Originally, a covered canopy offered shade for parents and pet owners, but a recent storm wiped it out. Von Schmidt said he is now considering a metal pavilion as a replacement to continue offering a comfortable, shaded space for park visitors.

The park’s appeal has also extended beyond recreation—it’s become a strong draw for homebuyers. Linette LaBove, sales manager for First America Homes, one of the builders in the Villages at Westpointe, said visitors are often delighted to find a park like this just down the street. Some prospective buyers even bring their dogs along when touring homes and take time to explore the park during their visit.

“They love having the park so close,” LaBove said. “It’s definitely been a selling point.”

The Villages at Westpointe recently completed the first section of homes and is now working on the second, with a third section planned next. Altogether, the development will include 524 homesites across the three sections, offering plenty of space for new families looking to settle in Dayton.

Though the park was a major investment, Von Schmidt believes it was the right thing to do. He said many small towns in Texas lack the kind of public amenities found in larger cities, and his hope is that Bark Park helps fill that gap—while also leaving a lasting, positive mark on the community.

To reach Bark Park, take Waco Street to Westpointe Drive, then follow Westpointe until you reach Point Lookout Drive. Turn right on Point Lookout and follow it all the way to the park.