SEQUIM — Picture the cure for cold-weather blues: a love-fest, a dog day, a frolic in the sun.
Yes, those seem an awfully long way off.
But the Sequim Dog Park Pals, undaunted by the specter of winter, are making progress toward their goal of a park where dogs run free and humans watch and chat.
Visions of dogs romping off-leash dance in their heads. And the Pals hope supporters of Sequim’s dog park will take no long winter’s nap.
The group formed last April after Sequim police officers apprehended dog walkers who’d broken the city’s leash law in Carrie Blake Park.
Since then, the Sequim Dog Park Pals, a growing group of volunteers, has become a partner with city government to build Clallam County’s first off-leash play area.
Fundraising effort
“The city has no budget for a dog park,” said David Brown, a founding Pal.
“We said, `We’ll raise the money, so we can have it now,”‘ rather than waiting until some year in the distant future when Sequim does have such funds lying around.
The City Council approved the Pals’ plan in May, and last summer, city Public Works Director James Bay oversaw grading of the space on the east side of Carrie Blake Park.
Initially, Bay said the playground would be only 1 acre, but he later landscaped just under 2 acres, planting grass seed and installing an irrigation system.
Brown, designer of the project’s Web site, www.SequimDogParks.org, lists the features the park will have if enough money comes in: a separate area for small dogs, benches, a water fountain, a gazebo, a community bulletin board and an agility course.
Lighting may eventually be added.
KC Construction, a Sequim-based contractor, has already donated and begun building a $10,000 fence.
Dana Hyde, whose Metal & Mud sculpture studio opened earlier this year on Spruce Street in Sequim, has promised to fabricate custom gates.
Trash cans, signs listing rules and poop-scoop stations will also be part of the park, but the Pals must pay for those.
Bay said he looks forward to a springtime volunteer work party to install them plus some play fixtures for dogs.
More information
TO LEARN MORE about plans for the Sequim off-leash playground for dogs and people, visit www.SequimDogParks.org or call 360-683-1894.