The cat’s meow
The Uxbridge Dog Park Committee broke ground on a new, town-owned park.
UXBRIDGE — The Uxbridge Dog Park Committee Wednesday broke ground on the new town-owned, offleash dog park on Sutton Street.
The Dog Park Committee, consisting of five members appointed by the town, will oversee and manage the activities of the park, which will open in a few months.
The idea to build a town-owned dog park came from a group of resident dog lovers headed by Cindy Scott and Uxbridge Police Officer Josiah Morrissette, who formed the Uxbridge Dog Park Committee in 2013 to advo- cate for a park in town.
The Board of Selectmen approved the committee’s proposal to allow a portion of the town-owned 100 Acre Lot on Sutton Street to be used for the roughly two-acre dog park. The fenced-in park will be equipped with watering stations, benches and lighting and will be subdivided, allowing separate areas for older dogs and younger, more energetic dogs.
The town applied for a grant from the Stanton Foundation to fund the design and construction of the dog park. The grant covers up to 100 percent of the design costs and 90 percent of construction costs. Grants typically range from $100,000 to $250,000.
After the park is open, the town can apply to the Stanton Foundation for up to three capital improvement grants. These grants can be used to make improvements to the park, not for routine maintenance. The Foundation will approve capital improvement grants of up to 5 percent of initial construction costs; thus if construction costs totaled $200,000, a town could receive grants of up to $10,000 per year for three years.
Town contributions required include land, water lines, other basic infrastructure, 10 percent of construction costs and ongoing maintenance.