Blair County Dog Park Launches Capital Fund Drive

The Blair County Dog Park, located in Martinsburg, has announced a Capital Fund Drive in an effort to raise $20,000. The funds are for the purpose of purchasing the 10-acre parcel of land on which the park resides. According to park president, Roseanne Conrad, the Blair County Dog Park Association, a non profit (501-C 3) organization has the opportunity to purchase the parcel that it has rented for the last eleven years.

"We were very fortunate to have found this wonderful parcel of land many years ago which enabled us to build the dog park on. The owners wanted to see the land used for 'something good' and gave us a very reasonable rental fee through the years, but now they would like to sell the land as they plan to relocate to another part of the country," explained Conrad.

Conrad, who started the effort with others to build the park in 2011, said the organization has been given an amazing opportunity to purchase the land. Although the organization is financially viable, the purchase price and closing costs would exhaust the savings used for ongoing expenses which include maintenance, insurance, materials and constant upgrade.

The dog park is managed by a volunteer board of directors and no one is paid for their service. Volunteers keep the grounds mowed, weeded and in good repair. The members pay a nominal fee of $50 per year and receive a key code to enter each of the four separate fenced in areas. Those funds are used toward expenses. The park managers also hold small fund raisers to help with the costs to run the park.

"The board has sent appeal letters to current members and past park supporters. We hope we can secure the funds needed to secure the land purchase so that people and their dogs may enjoy the park for generations to come," said Conrad.

Conrad also mentioned that the membership fee has been the same amount since the parks inception despite the rise in costs of practically everything. This fee is significantly less than the average $300 plus per year for other member-based dog parks across the country. Conrad said the board has decided to keep the fee low so it would be affordable to all.

Bill Lewis, a Martinsburg resident who serves as vice president of the park board and the volunteer maintenance committee, said that the county is blessed to have such a beautiful, serene place to enjoy time with dogs in a safe place.

"This park supplies a service to our county, as well as other counties in the region," said Lewis. "Not all dog owners have places to run and exercise their dogs in a large, safe area. The park offers this plus it is a great way for dog lovers to connect with one another."

According to a recent release by Forbes, 65.1 million households in the U.S. own a dog. Many are multiple dog households.

"The significance of this is huge," said Conrad, who owns 5 dogs. "There are actually more dog households than there are households having children."

The Blair County Dog Park is a member-based park and not a municipal park. Municipal dog parks are managed by local governments. While these are usually free-to-the-public parks, they are often not able to be supervised or maintained as well as private parks. Conrad said that all members must agree to follow a list of rules set up to protect all members. Dogs must be non aggressive, up to date on vaccines, the males must be neutered and people must clean up after their own dogs.

To donate to the fund drive, checks are to be made payable to the Blair County Dog Park and mailed to: Blair County Dog Park, c/o Bonnie Risser, Treasurer, P.O. Box 191, Martinsburg, PA 16662. Donations are tax deductible.

The dog park maintains a website at http://www.blaircountydogpark.org and has a Facebook page at Blair County Dog Park Association. Residents may read the Rules of the Dogpark and download membership forms from the website.