Watson, a 5-year-old Bichon Frize and Yorkshire Terrier mix owned by Judy Bougie, plays at the Caribou Dog Park. Construction of a similar park for Presque Isle is underway. (File: Chris Bouchard | Aroostook Republican)
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Progress on a proposed dog park in town has been slowed by a lack of fundraising and bad weather.
It has been over a year and a half since the dog park was proposed for Peace Park in response to the construction of Caribou, what is now Sincock Dog Park in 2019. Mantle Lake Park in Presque Isle dogs are allowed, but they must be on a leash at all times. .
The idea for the Peace Park Dog Park came about through conversations with the Department of Recreation and Parks and its advisory board in late 2021 and early 2022. Presque Isle residents had asked about the possibility of a park for dogs in town after caribou dog. the park had opened, according to Gene Cronin, director of the parks and recreation department.
“It’s nice to have an enclosed area where you can let your dog off-leash to run and play and not have to worry about the dog escaping,” Cronin said.
The Presque Isle City Council approved the Peace Park Dog Park to be located on Parsons Street.
Much of the dog park project costs will be paid for through fundraising through the Presque Isle Parks and Recreation Department, with an original goal of $40,000.
The amount raised so far is about $20,000 through local and community donations.
A completion date for the project has not yet been set and is dependent on receiving adequate donations from the community.
The city helped build a new parking lot at a cost of about $12,000 last summer by providing the materials.
The Presque Isle National Guard placed workforce through its innovative readiness training program that selects community projects to keep their engineering skills up to date. The PI Guard Unit is a heavy equipment group that used bulldozers and backhoes for the new dog park parking lot.
“The project itself is in phases, so this year it’s just the parking lot,” said Eryhn Yeater, 185th Engineer Support Company first lieutenant and platoon leader.
Construction of the parking lot began on June 2 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of July. But summer rains delayed its completion until September, Cronin said.
The next step is to put up two different sizes of fences for the two areas of the dog park. One section would be for small dogs and the other for large dogs that may not play well together. A walking trail circuit will also be added.
Local contractors will work on the fence, but the Parks and Recreation Department has not yet put out a bid for the dog park.
“Once we raise the funds, we will come up with a timeline for completion,” Cronin said.
