The Kenai Community Dog Park project, which is a community project and partnership with the City of Kenai, is taking big strides. The City of Kenai provided land at its Daubenspeck Family Park for the new park, and fundraising efforts by Kenai Dog Park Friends has raised more than $43,000 in cash and thousands more in materials, service, and volunteer hours for construction of the project.
The donations were deposited with the Kenai Community Foundation, a local not-for-profit established to facilitate donations for programs and projects for the betterment of Kenai.
Kenai City Manager Terry Eubanks update the Council on the dog park project.
“What this represents is the remaining funds that have been raised through donations for the dog park project. These funds are with the Kenai Community Foundation. They provided the conduit for folks to donate to the project. The Community Foundation is gonna provide those funds to the city. We’re asking to appropriate those into the construction project. That will bring the combined funds remaining for the project of right about $36,000. I detailed in the memo what the actual kind of construction plan is for this summer. We’re waiting on a volunteer who’s supposed to build the pavilion, that was arranged by the volunteers and actually Kenai Community Foundation, with donated funds, purchased the materials for that project so once that construction of the pavilion there is complete, fencing can be completed because the fencing ties into that structure.”
The City previously appropriated $88,000 to assist in the construction, and the appropriation of the remaining donated funds will provide sufficient funding to complete the summer construction plan for the project as detailed below.
2023 Construction Plan
- Construction of the park’s pavilion/shelter.
- Once site conditions permit, excavate, and install a French drain through the center of the park to provide increased drainage.
- Once the drain is complete, install additional fill and grade and prep the site for hydroseeding.
- Upon completion of the park’s pavilion/shelter and French drain, install the park’s remaining fencing.
- Once site work is complete, a volunteer day will be organized to install agility and other park features purchased, built and otherwise acquired by the volunteers.
- Hydroseeding of the park.
- If sufficient funding remains once the above tasks are completed, a manual water pump will be installed to provide drinking water for animals during the summer months.
- Grand opening is expected in July, weather dependent.