ADK Civics Club looking to open dog park in Au Sable Forks

AU SABLE FORKS | The ADK Civics Club is working toward constructing a new dog park in town. "We are an informal social club that formed last year to strengthen community connection, and civic engagement is our goal," said Sarah Duheme, who is one of the founding members of the ADK Civics Club, along with Larry Hartson, who actually came up with the idea of adding a dog park to town. "Pretty early on, we focused in on a dog park as our inaugural project, and we're excited about it." So far, the ADK Civics Club has received tentative approval from the Town of Jay. A site along Grove Road, on the riverbank across the Ausable River from the municipal parking lot and park, is the future location of the dog park. About one acre of the 4.5-acre town-owned property will be utilized. The town has also agreed to provide liability insurance, Duheme said. "Working with the town government and building community support is a big part of making this dog park a reality, but we're going to need to raise money, too, and to do that, we really need a fiscal sponsor." At the time this article was written, members of the ADK Civics Club planned to meet with the Lake Placid, New York Rotary Foundation (LPNYRF), which is currently working with the Town of North Elba to create its very own state-of-the-art dog park, to see whether they would be willing to serve as a fiscal sponsor. If obtained, this would allow the ADK Civics Club to operate under the tax-exempt status of an established 501(c)(3) organization, enabling any donations and grants they would receive moving forward to be tax-deductible. The design of the dog park is still being developed, so the ADK Civics Club is unaware of exactly how much needs to be fundraised. Although members are looking at a ballpark number of $40,000. So far, it is known that the fenced-in dog park will be divided into two sections: one for larger dogs and another for smaller ones. There will also be bag dispenser stations for dog waste management. Other items members would like to see added but have yet to be finalized include a water feature for the dogs to rehydrate or play in, as well as a culvert or other obstacles the dogs can play in or on. And for their owners, there's a discussion of adding seating and other shading features. Also, if this becomes a reality, some type of walkway, either stairs or a ramp, will need to be constructed to connect the dog park to the existing parking lot, which can accommodate anywhere from six cars comfortably to up to 10 if they're organized correctly. The ADK Civics Club hopes not only to obtain fiscal sponsorship but also to secure an official Town of Jay resolution supporting the dog park by this spring or summer. Its members are also considering approaching the Town of Black Brook for potential support. Until then, the ADK Civics Club is asking the community to help them come up with an official name for the dog park. Several suggestions have been made already, including The Adirondack Bark, Forks River Dog Park, Bark at the Forks, and Forks and Fetch. Voting will be open until at least March 1. "Dogs are so important to us in our lives, and we expect a lot from them, as far as their behavior goes. It's important to socialize them if we want them to be good canine citizens," Duheme said. "Beyond that, it's just really important as a community to have these spaces where we can gather and meet other people and engage with each other." For more information, check them out on Facebook — "ADK Civics Club- Au Sable Valley Chapter" — or email adkcivicsclub@gmail.com.

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ADK Civics Club looking to open dog park in Au Sable Forks

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