Whitefish working on dog-park pact
The city of Whitefish hopes to have a construction agreement for a dog park in place by the end of the year.
City officials have been working for some time with the nonprofit Whitefish Animal Group - WAG - to iron out the details of the proposed 4.9-acre park, Parks Director Dan Keyes said.
The group announced it is launching a campaign to raise the $100,000 it will take to build the dog park and relocate a soccer field at Armory Park on Whitefish's east side.
The Whitefish City Council in April approved a master plan for Armory Park, a conceptual document that outlined a priority list of 17 projects for the eastside parkland. Restrooms and softball-field drainage and improvements will be the first projects completed as city money becomes available, but Keyes said at the time that if there's community financial support for the dog park it will be built sooner.
The council will need to approve the construction agreement, he said.
Whitefish Animal Group plans to rebuild the soccer field on ground immediately adjacent to the softball fields, east of its current location, board chairman Steve Lull said in a press release.
The group estimates it will take about $100,000 to open the gates on the dog park. It hopes to start the initial phase in spring of 2008, which includes land surveying, a secure perimeter fence with double entry gates, dog-waste stations and bag dispensers, and entry rule signs. Money to rebuild the soccer field also is included in the estimate.
Keyes said the group will need to raise all the money, plus a 10 percent contingency fund, before the project can begin.
Lull said the need for legal off-leash dog space is "clear and pressing" in Whitefish.
"We would like to get this dog park open as soon possible," he said. "When this park is completed it will offer accessible paths, a pond for dogs to cool off in, benches and a drinking fountain. It's going to be a delightful park where people and their pets can socialize and exercise together."
Whitefish residents Myni Ferguson and Sandie Carpenter are spearheading the fundraising campaign. A booth at the Whitefish Farmers Market this summer helped bring in some money, but the group will now kick the effort into high gear. Ferguson said donations of all kinds are welcome, including multiyear pledges.
To donate to the WAG Dog Park, contact Ferguson, 862-5443, or Lull at 863-9501. Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 1690, Whitefish, MT, 59937, or sent via the WAG Web site at www.wagparks.org.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com