The committee behind the Abington Dog Park is looking for volunteers interested in helping manage the park as well as raise funds to support its ongoing upkeep.
The park opened in 2019 after three years of planning, fundraising, and design work, aided in large by a $188,000 grant from the Stanton Foundation.
“The park gets a lot of use every day and is a great resource for locals,” said Susan McHugh, president of Friends of Abington Dog Park, and one of the park’s founders.
The Friends group – a registered 501c3 non-profit – is holding its annual meeting Thursday, April 13, at 6 p.m., at Town Hall. Among the topics the group will discuss are bylaw changes to help bring in more volunteers, and fundraising ideas.
Ongoing maintenance and support costs are shared by the town and the Friends group. The town pays for water and electricity at the park, which is located on town-owned land near the Senior Center, and helps with some upkeep items.
“DPW Director John Stone has been a great help with various projects and repairs,” McHugh said.
The rest is taken care of by the Friends group.
“Trash collection is our biggest expense, at about $6,000 a year, and then our next biggest expense is maintenance, such as repairs, sand, and stone,” McHugh said. “We estimate we need about $8,000 a year to run the park.”
The Stanton Foundation provided additional support grants after 12, 18 and 24 months of operation. Now the non-profit group is seeking out business partners to serve as “Sustaining Contributors,” with the goal of getting enough to cover trash collection.
“That would enable us to use the money raised from our 4-6 yearly events for maintenance and issues that arise,” she said.
The park is split into sections for big dogs and little dogs. Each section has space for dogs to roam plus objects to climb on. Three shade structures are now up to protect pups on sunny days, and a water station has been installed on the small dog side.
The group’s fundraising efforts have included a calendar, dog costume parade, pictures with Santa, and selling candy and glow wear at the Founders’ Day fireworks.
According to the group’s charter, the group’s executive board should consist of seven town residents: a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and three directors. At its annual meeting, the group will consider allowing up to three non-residents onto the board, dropping the vice president role, and allowing for the appointment of a transitional president when McHugh leaves her post later this year.
McHugh said the Friends group meets monthly to go over park operations, plan fundraisers, and coordinate appearances at community events, and schedule any necessary park maintenance. .
All park users are considered members of the Friends of Abington Dog Park and eligible to attend meetings.