Planners of the proposed dog park for Red Hook and Rhinebeck now say they’re hoping it will open early next month.
Bruce Washburn, deputy supervisor for the Town of Rhinebeck, and originator of the idea, told The Observer Sept. 6 that a number of problems had delayed the project, which has been in the works for almost a year.
One issue was funding, he said. “The dog park has pledges of roughly $13,000 so far. Some of the pledges are still outstanding, and we did not have sufficient funds to obtain needed materials until this week,” he noted.
Another issue, he added, were changes to the plan because of the terrain.
The dog park, with separate runs for large and small dogs, will be located off Old Stone Church Road on property that is owned by the town of Rhinebeck as part of its recreation facility. The fenced-in area will be located between one of the softball fields and the soccer field.
Washburn said, “We are targeting October 5th as the grand opening. This is an aggressive target that could be jeopardized by weather or delays in obtaining materials. Work will continue after the grand opening to complete installation of some amenities.”
Before that, he said, “we’ll be having volunteer work parties every week to install the park while others finalize the rules and forms.”
