Dog Park

Funkstown officials informally agreed Monday night to explore the idea of opening a dog park at Funkstown Community Park. Town Councilman Luke Barnette said he was approached about the possibility of a dog park by people who were walking their pets there. Barnette said he knew finding funding could be a long process, but he would like to move forward slowly with the issue. The town council did not take a vote, but agreed informally to have Barnette explore the viability of such a park.

A Funkstown resident asked the mayor and Town Council on Monday night to consider opening a permanent, enclosed dog park at Funkstown Community Park. No one strenuously objected to the idea and Councilman Richard Gaver said he would like to see the town have the first dog park in Washington County. “We have one of the few dog-friendly parks now,” Gaver said. After discussing possible locations and issues, Mayor Paul N. Crampton Jr. suggested council members think about the park proposal and come up with more questions.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - The Waynesboro Borough Council gave its support Wednesday for adding dedicated dog park on borough property at Northside Park near the borough's pool. Slated to be a fenced section of the park where dogs can run free, the concept and location for the passed council in a 5-1 vote. Councilman Ronnie Martin opposed the idea, saying that he would not vote for the project until a report on the impact of dogs at Rotary Park at Wayne Gardens was offered to the council.

Fencing will be installed this spring for a new dog park in the Borough of Waynesboro. The Waynesboro Borough Council Wednesday awarded fence installation to R. Perry Fence Co. The company was the lowest among seven bidders with its quote of $11,388. Donations collected privately and through a dog swim fundraiser will cover that cost, Councilman Wayne Driscoll said. The park will encompass about half an acre near Northside Pool, Driscoll said. It will have two sections to divide dogs based on size, he said.

A Borough of Waynesboro recreation area is scheduled to receive water service shortly before the dog days of summer. Northside Dog Park, which opened in 2011, will receive fountains in coming weeks. “There is public water available. All we have to do is run a line,” Borough Manager Lloyd Hamberger said. Costs should be minimal as only manpower and materials are needed, he said. The dog park has two sections to separate small and large dogs. It is off North Potomac Street Extended.

Hagerstown officials are looking to citizens to help establish an off-leash dog park in the city, potentially the first park of its kind in Washington County. After a public meeting last month drew significant interest from the community, city engineer Rodney Tissue on Tuesday suggested to the Hagerstown City Council that a citizen task force should be created to determine an appropriate location, operations and amenities of such a park. “It's an issue that is long overdue in the city,” he said.

Fairgrounds Park will be the location of the city's first off-leash dog park following  a 4-1 vote Tuesday by the Hagerstown City Council. Additionally approved was the allocation of $40,000 in city excise taxes for the construction of the park, the other $20,000 for which will be raised by the Dog Park Task Force, which council commissioned in October to find a location for the project. Conditions of the park's approval included that the additional $20,000 be raised by the task force and used for amenities including lights, security cameras and benches; the city must also relocate the basketball court currently at Fairgrounds Park to a spot just north of the dog park; hours of operation will be consistent with the policies adopted by the mayor and council and the park will open on June 29. Councilwoman Penny M. Nigh was the only council member to vote against the park, citing concerns she raised at an April 2 meeting at City Hall when she noted Fairgrounds Park as a “very active park.” Nine citizens, some of whom doubled as task force members, spoke during the public comment of the Hagerstown City Council meeting, urging the council to vote in favor of the  dog park.

A Martinsburg couple has donated up to $125,000 for the construction of a dog park in the city on behalf of their family. Travis Hill said Tuesday that he and his wife, Scarlett, are carrying out the wishes of his late aunt, Gretchen Wurzburg of Martinsburg, who left $500,000 in her will for student scholarships, public recreation and churches. “Our family wanted to give back to the community,” Hill said of the decision they made in late February to support the project at Ambrose Park, which is along Mall Drive in Martinsburg.

The Hagerstown City Council reached a consensus Tuesday on the site of a dog park, with three of the five members expressing their support for building it at Fairgrounds Park. The council could vote next Tuesday on a resolution that includes provisions requested by Councilman Donald Munson. Those include lighting that would not disturb surrounding residents, security cameras and not opening the dog park to the public until the Dog Park Task Force has raised its share of the money for the park.

The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday appointed seven people to its newly-formed citizen Dog Park Task Force. The task force will take a closer look at various locations for an off-leash dog park, discuss what types amenities that the proposed park should have and then periodically report back to the city council with recommendations, city Engineer Rodney Tissue has said. Hagerstown's proposed dog park would be the first park of its kind in Washington County. Task force members are Anthony Bittner, Renee Burgan, Heather Holman, Nate Mackley, Maria Mestre, Stacey Webster and Martha Whittington.

A “mountain” for children to scale, a pretend fossil dig and a large caterpillar they can crawl through are part of a whimsical play area that Gateway Garden Club envisions for Ambrose Park in Martinsburg. “This is sort of new territory for us,” said Sue Ann Palmer, who is chairing the club's committee for the children's garden project with Terri Michael. The garden is being geared toward those ages 2 to 12, and the club is hopeful that nearby Winchester Avenue and Rosemont elementary schools will be able to use it for educational purposes, such as outdoor science classes, Palmer said.  The club has been working closely with the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks & Recreation Board, which approved the project on about one-fifth of an acre of the park along Mall Drive, Palmer said.

“Remember when our president says 'transparency'? I hear today, you know, he had his speech today, and one guy asked him about, what about the coverup in Benghazi, and he says 'I'm not aware of it.' And then the reporter says to him, 'Do you know that you have whistle blowers from the CIA and the State Department that are being threatened with their job?' And once again, he says 'I'm not aware of it.' What a great president.” - Williamsport   “This is in response to the person that wrote in about the Fairground dog park; you're going to see a lot of dog fights, and dogs having sex. I mean, come on, really.

Fairgrounds Park will be the location of the city's first off-leash dog park following  a 4-1 vote Tuesday by the Hagerstown City Council. Additionally approved was the allocation of $40,000 in city excise taxes for the construction of the park, the other $20,000 for which will be raised by the Dog Park Task Force, which council commissioned in October to find a location for the project. Conditions of the park's approval included that the additional $20,000 be raised by the task force and used for amenities including lights, security cameras and benches; the city must also relocate the basketball court currently at Fairgrounds Park to a spot just north of the dog park; hours of operation will be consistent with the policies adopted by the mayor and council and the park will open on June 29. Councilwoman Penny M. Nigh was the only council member to vote against the park, citing concerns she raised at an April 2 meeting at City Hall when she noted Fairgrounds Park as a “very active park.” Nine citizens, some of whom doubled as task force members, spoke during the public comment of the Hagerstown City Council meeting, urging the council to vote in favor of the  dog park.

The Hagerstown City Council reached a consensus Tuesday on the site of a dog park, with three of the five members expressing their support for building it at Fairgrounds Park. The council could vote next Tuesday on a resolution that includes provisions requested by Councilman Donald Munson. Those include lighting that would not disturb surrounding residents, security cameras and not opening the dog park to the public until the Dog Park Task Force has raised its share of the money for the park.

A task force working to find a location for an off-leash dog park in Hagerstown unveiled a concept for Fairgrounds Park with a proposed late June opening, but the Hagerstown City Council was not entirely in support of the site Tuesday. The task force presented the final report with the intent that the five-member city council would vote to approve the location at the April 23 meeting. But after more than an hour of discussion, Mayor David S. Gysberts said the issue will be discussed again at an upcoming work session.

Antrim Township Community Park could be home to a dog park as early as this fall, according to township officials. Antrim Township Administrator Brad Graham told township supervisors Tuesday that the parks committee approved recommending moving forward with constructing a dog park at the township park at 12315 Grant Shook Road in Greencastle. The township budgeted $50,000 in its 2013 budget for the dog park, Graham said. Pat Heraty, vice chairman of the board of supervisors and liaison between the supervisors and the parks committee, said the dog park project is moving ahead.

A Martinsburg couple has donated up to $125,000 for the construction of a dog park in the city on behalf of their family. Travis Hill said Tuesday that he and his wife, Scarlett, are carrying out the wishes of his late aunt, Gretchen Wurzburg of Martinsburg, who left $500,000 in her will for student scholarships, public recreation and churches. “Our family wanted to give back to the community,” Hill said of the decision they made in late February to support the project at Ambrose Park, which is along Mall Drive in Martinsburg.