LOWELL | Residents interested in taking their dogs to the park will need to wait a little longer. But Lowell park officials say they have a possible site for the dog-walking public.

"A dog-friendly park is a work in progress, but it's going to take more work," said Kerry Robinson, the Lowell Park Board president and chairman of the Freedom Park Committee.

Signs posted in all Lowell parks say dogs are prohibited. The ban was imposed years ago after safety concerns were raised, officials said.

But the topic of a dog-friendly park -- in which leashed dogs would be welcome -- surfaced earlier this year when resident Heather Hamilton asked the Park Board to consider allowing such a facility. The proposal drew support from Lowell Councilman Don Huseman, D-1st.

Freedom Park, a 114-acre park owned by the town and West Creek and Cedar Creek townships, was considered, but the Freedom Park Committee recently rejected the idea, citing liability concerns. At issue is some assurance of owner responsibility for dogs' actions, Robinson said.

Parks Superintendent Tom Sullivan and Robinson pointed to land donated to the Lowell parks department by Dean White's company in memory of his friend and valued business colleague, William Nassau, a former Lowell resident.

That land, which is overgrown and would require heavy equipment to create dog-walking trails, could be transformed into a nice, dog-friendly park, Sullivan said, adding it is designated as a nature park.

Hamilton said she has a group of friends willing to volunteer labor for such a project. Robinson said there is no money to develop the nature park on the town's south side.