On Wednesday, Jan. 28, at least 45 people consisting of Farmville residents, families, students, faculty and staff, as well as one canine had attended a public meeting at the Farmville Train Station to voice “the desire and need for a dog park,” according to the original event description and in the initiative’s mission statement.
At the start of the meeting, Farmville Town Manager Gerald Spates said, “It is a given that we will have a dog park.”
Jake Milne, Sharon Menegoni and Christine Voitko made up the original steering committee. Over the past summer, the committee met with Mayor David E. Whitus. Whitus then brought a proposal to the town’s Finance Committee to move the initiative forward.
During the meeting, Vice Mayor A.D. Reid was in attendance as well as town council members Thomas M. Pairet and Daniel E. Dwyer. All three officials have committee assignments in town assets and resources, and were tasked in part with finding suitable land property for the park as well as creating the plan to acquire it.
The property that was chosen is already acquired and is an un- cleared lot on N. Virginia St., right by the Farmville Department of Motor Vehicles. The property is approximately six-tenths of an acre.
Spates said the town is still working on the transaction to build the dog park on top of this property. According to Spates, the initial cost for the park would total $31,450, with no out-of- pocket costs for the land. The expenditures would be for adequate fencing, parking, port-a-john’s, shading, waste stations, a water hydrant, signage and benches. An unspecified business has already volunteered to clear the lot free of charge.
According to Milne, “The accepted norm is to have two parks. One for small dogs and one for big dogs.” The Farmville Dog Park is based on the neighboring Lynchburg dog park model, which was an initiative that took eight years to complete.
“This site has no potential for commercial development; it’s on a flood plain like the one in Lynchburg,” said Spates.
Although one donor who was referred to as “Dr. French” has already agreed to give $10,000 to the dog park initiative, though the initiative still lacks a 501(c)(3) or a similar status for a fundraising campaign to be initiated.
“We would be one of 15 [towns] to have a dog park in Virginia...I think this would be another amenity to put Farmville on the map,” said Milne.
Milne also added that this initiative “is a marathon.” It is a collective effort driven by “private citizens in collaboration with the town council.”
In other words, building and hosting a dog park provides not only an amenity to the community but creates new responsibilities, “You have to train a community how to take care of a dog park,” said Milne.
The process includes various levels of liability. In Farmville alone, there are approximately 369 neutered dogs and 899 un-neutered. These figures do not include surrounding towns and counties.
There is currently no timeline for the initiative. Milne said, “It takes a committee effort over time.” From private citizens, grants and potentially Longwood and Hampden-Sydney students, it might be possible to raise the $30,000 needed for the dog park.
The initiative is met with overwhelming enthusiasm. Cumberland resident William “Ace” Kinney attended the public meeting with his dog Brian. “Only reason I am here is for Brian...he needs a place to play,” said Kinney. “He works as a service dog and he needs a place to play and I hope Farmville gives him a place to play.”
Kinney teaches shop in Cumberland and is willing to build “anything” he can with his resources for the park and for the dogs to play.
Patrick Murphy, the scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 6516, will also be “introducing the boys to the dog park project, as the need arises.”
“The next step will be another organizational meeting to formalize the organization in February,” said Milne.
Additional updates on the initiative can be found on the Facebook non-profit organization group page “Friends of Farmville VA Dog Park.”
