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News: Morristown Dog Park Grand Opening

Date Published Author
11/23/2020 12:00:00 AM  Sara Haskins 

Morristown now has its very own dog park.  Adjacent to the playground at the intersection of Park Street and Copley Ave; the dog park is open from sunrise to sunset and visitors can enjoy and use the park at their own risk.  Dogs must be over four months of age, have been licensed, vaccinated and spayed/neutered, not have a contagious disease nor a history of violence to use the park.

After over a year of planning, Peoples Academy Middle School student Malia Haskins opened the park at a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 4th.  Haskins first got the idea in elementary school when the student council did a fundraiser to raise money and awareness for NCAL.  At the time her older brother was playing soccer in Waterbury and there was a dog park next to the soccer fields.  Her family would often bring their dog to play at that park while her brother was at soccer practice.  She wanted to create a dog park closer to home in her own community and in the spring of 2019, at the age of 11, she formed a dog park committee as a subcommittee of Morristown Park & Rec. 

The Committee researched various locations in town before receiving permission from the Selectboard to use the piece of land that formerly housed the ice-skating rink before it was move to the Oxbow Park.  They partnered with Rocktoberfest in the Fall of 2019 and hosted a dog parade entitled “Who let the dogs out” to gain awareness for the future park and help raise funds for doggie play structures.  Finally, they received funding for the project from the Alexander Hamilton Copley Trust Fund.  The fencing was installed in late fall just in time for the opening ceremony and next summer the committee plans to finish the project by installing doggie play structures, composting waste systems, and installing a water spicket.  A complete list of permitted and prohibited action at the park can be found online at: https://morristownvt.myrec.com/info/dept/details.aspx?DeptInfoID=1058. Report forbidden dog(s) & rule violations immediately to the Town of Morristown at 888-5147.

The Morristown Parks & Recreation committee meets the second Monday of the month at 4:30 and welcomes new members for more information contact parksandrec@morristownvt.org.

Donations to the Morristown dog park can be made online at: https://morristownvt.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=29831