With the Potato and Corn Festival wrapped up for 2016, North Branford Unleashed! is ready to see more than four years of work and fundraising begin to come to fruition. The installation of the fencing around the dog park should be underway by the end of the month and the large dog area is expected to be finished by October.

“During this time, we have collected donations from hundreds of supporters,” said Eric Hodgson, founder of North Branford Unleashed! “The fact that we are almost ready to break ground is a testament to the overwhelming support we have received.”

So far the group has raised more than $15,000 with donations not only coming from community members, but the North Branford Rotary Club and Beneful dog food recently making large contributions.

“We hope to utilize the recent large sum donations as a key part of fundraising for the next phase of the project—the creation of the adjacent small dog area,” said Hodgson. “We are still collecting donations for things like the benches and signage.”

North Branford Unleashed is also working with a local boy scout who will create a sign for the park as his Eagle Scout project. While Hodgson noted there was some opposition to the creation of a dog park, he found a great deal of support. North Branford Unleashed! has had nearly 50 members who have been involved in different stages of the grass-roots effort.

“We purposefully made creating a dog park in North Branford a transparent and open process in order to give everyone an opportunity to express both positive and negative opinions,” said Hodgson. “Dog parks are a popular and increasingly common part of many communities, so most people understood that this could be a welcome addition to North Branford. On the whole, the town and its citizens have been overwhelmingly supportive of our efforts.”

The dog park will be a town park and the town will oversee the basic maintenance of the property, as it does with the other parks in North Branford. North Branford Unleashed! will set up the park with multiple waste collection stations and will continue to support the town over the years.

“The people who use the park should leave the park how they found it and clean up any messes they have made,” said Hodgson. “North Branford is a great place to live. I’m excited to see people coming together to make it even better. My dog, Atticus, is looking forward to hanging out with his new friends at the park and I’m really excited and proud of our volunteers.”

For information, visit the North Branford Unleashed! Facebook page.