To the editor:

It’s happening! We broke ground on the Portsmouth Dog Park expansion project last week and we’re really excited. Big thanks to all our friends and supporters for your patience while we navigated the bumpy road of construction planning.

Like many folks planning construction projects, we ran up against the COVID-related supply chain inflation woes two years ago. Although we had received a very generous grant from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation — thank you, van Beuren! — the first round of bids came in at double our budget. So, in consultation with the fabulous planning team from Narragansett Engineering and the Town of Portsmouth, we reduced the scope of work and focused on installing the fencing and trails for the expansion area, which was always our top priority.

If all goes well, this summer you will see that the footprint of the dog park has doubled in the form of a dogleg (no pun intended) to the north and west of the existing park. While the main park is open field, the new section will carve a half-mile path through the underbrush, allowing native trees and plants to thrive. This will offer dog-owners an area to walk with their dogs off leash in a fenced, trail-like setting, something they are unable to do in the Melville trails and Portsmouth parks.

But that’s not the end of our plans. To raise funds for the rest of the PDP expansion project, we are launching the “Building Community Campaign” to underwrite the addition of solar lighting, agility equipment, landscaping, a memorial garden, benches, signage and other amenities. For more information on that, go to: www.portsmouthdogparkri.com. For updates on the expansion project, please follow us on Facebook (Portsmouth Loves Dogs) or go to our website at portsmouthdogparkri.com.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped make the Portsmouth Dog Park such a special place to be!

Jane Regan

Chair, Portsmouth Dog Park Committee

Middletown