SOUTH HADLEY — Friends of South Hadley Dog Park will host an information session for a planned dog park on Mulligan Drive at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the South Hadley Public Library.
The event, which is sponsored by Know Your Town, will serve as a platform for ideas and suggestions regarding the dog park.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for the dogs in town,” said Bob Berwick, president of Friends of South Hadley Dog Park. “Dogs in town are made to run, and this is a chance for them to have a nice area that’s safe and free, where dogs can run and interact with each other and dog owners can get to know each other.”
The Stanton Foundation awarded South Hadley a $21,578 planning grant in December, and is expected to provide a construction grant once the design has been completed, according to Berwick. The foundation awards construction grants covering up to 90 percent of $225,000 in funding, in addition to a maximum of $25,000 in design costs.
“Once the construction grant is awarded by the Stanton Foundation requirements, we have one year to get the park open,” Berwick said, “so we are fingers crossed, toes crossed and eyes crossed hoping that we will have a park open by late fall, and if not then hopefully for the following spring.”
Voters passed two articles supporting the creation of the dog park at a November special Town Meeting.
Voters also passed an article amendment opening the possibility of a different location for the park in response to concerns that golf balls from the adjacent Ledges Golf Club could pose a safety hazard to those using the dog park.
Berwick said that the Friends group is still focusing on the same location, but is looking into establishing nets to shield the park from stray golf balls. He added that the location is otherwise “an ideal spot,” as the town already owns the property, which Berwick said is unlikely to be used for anything else.