Doylestown Supervisors Give Thumbs Up To Dog Park Plan

The proposed Doylestown Dog Park took a step closer to reality Tuesday night when Doylestown Township supervisors gave their unanimous, enthusiastic blessing to a construction plan.

Now, the organizers have some serious fundraising to do before people can let their pooches romp off-leash in a safe, controlled environment.

“We won’t start building until we have all the money in hand,” said an obviously pleased Kathy Brown, co-chair of the Friends of Doylestown Dog Park as she accepted congratulations from supporters after the meeting. “We’ve been taking this step-by-step but this is the biggest one of all.” 

If all goes well, the dog park could be open by the fall, said Brown.

Supporters have been planning the dog park for nearly two years. It is proposed for a three-acre section of Turk III, a county-owned park at Almshouse and Turk roads. The township leases the property from the county and will issue a license for the dog park.

Brown estimated it will cost about $90,000 to complete the first phase of the project, which includes separate areas for large and small dogs, a secure entry area, and amenities such as benches, trash receptacles, and water.

Users will pay a registration fee to ensure their dogs are healthy and have appropriate social skills to be around other dogs, said Brown. The registration fee has not been determined, she said.

FDDP has raised about $13,000 so far, according to Christa Tinari, secretary of the group. She said a meeting in planned in the near future with an anonymous doner who could add $35,000 to the kitty.

Meanwhile, FDDP is the in the midst of “March Muttness,” a fundraiser that has more than 50 businesses participating and brought in $1,200 the first week. Their goal is $5,000. For more information, go to doylestowndogpark.com.

The group also will sell commemorative bricks and offer naming opportunities to supporters.

The second phase of the project calls for adding a rotation area that will be used to preserve the turf in the main areas, and for demonstrations. Brown estimated the cost at about $46,000.

The third phase calls for a roof over the entranceway to the off-leash area. There is no cost estimate yet for that, Brown said.

While the township will own the park, FDDP will be responsible for the approximately $9,000 maintenance cost.

Supervisors said they were pleased with the attention to detail that went into putting the plan together. They were especially happy to note the project was developed in cooperation with Doylestown Borough.

“Kudos to you for this,” Supervisor Cynthia Phila told Brown and Tinari after their presentation. “You are bringing added value to Doylestown Township and Doylestown Borough. You did a wonderful job.”

Supervisors chairperson Barbara Lyons said the plan “exceeds my expectations.” She said the dog park fulfills one of the recommendations made in a 2003 joint open space plan developed between the borough and the township.