Lewes dog park set to open Aug. 17

A chorus of excited barks and wagging tails will soon be common sights and sounds just off New Road in Lewes, as the Lewes Unleashed dog park is set to officially open in August.

With construction crews finishing up the final work and grass beginning to take seed in the 4.5-acre space, dog park officials are confident the park is ready to be used.

An opening ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 17, at the park, where state and local officials are expected to be on hand to welcome the park's first four-legged visitors.

“We're all really excited about how it's come together,” said Paul Collins, vice president of the Lewes Unleashed board. “The park looks really pretty right now.”

The park will be exclusive to Lewes Unleashed members – memberships cost $60 per year and can be obtained by going to www.lewesunleashed.org. Short-term memberships are not available at this time, but could be added in the future, said Janice Erich, president of Lewes Unleashed.

The park is divided into three areas – general, small dog and a section for training and events. Dogs and their owners will enter through a bullpen where they can unleash before heading in.

The park will not be 100 percent complete when it opens. Collins said the grass is patchy due to a rushed seeding process, and they plan to seed the grounds again. Schell Brothers has also pledged to build a gazebo in the park this fall. Ongoing maintenance work will be the responsibility of Lewes Unleashed.

The dog park idea started with three families – the Abercrombies, the Palmers and the Willeys. In an effort to muster support, they handed out cards saying “Support a Dog Park” while marching in the 2011 Doo Dah Parade on the Fourth of July. That same year, the group collected about 1,100 signatures in support at the farmers market.

But then the road became bumpy. Finding a location for the dog park proved challenging. Some thought George H.P. Smith Park would be a good location, but many residents were against the idea. Then in 2014, Lewes Unleashed reached an agreement with the city to lease land in the newly named Great Marsh Park off Park Road and New Road on the west side of town. But then a lawsuit from a nearby homeowner delayed the start of construction. Once the case was resolved, construction was finally set to begin in early 2015. Then more problems surfaced, this time from Mother Nature.

“Our single biggest impediment was the weather,” Collins said. “We kept getting washed away. We weren't able to get started until April.”

Tree clearing began. In total, Collins said, about 100 trees were preserved. They focused on saving native trees, he said. Collins envisions a future fundraiser where donors could plant/ sponsor a tree to be planted in the park.

But before more work could be completed, he said, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control delayed progress again. The land where the dog park is being built is owned by the state, leased to the city and, in turn, subleased to Lewes Unleashed. All plans must be approved by DNREC, and officials wanted to do an engineering study before work continued, Collins said.

It was fall by the time construction crews could get back to work, and they worked earnestly to get as much done as they could through the winter.

Another rainy spring provided challenges, but officials can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Go to www.lewesunleashed.org for more information about the park.