by Jack Lakowsky
In 2006, Chris Lawton’s dog passed away, inspiring him to campaign for a dog park in Montville.
“When I presented my idea, at the time it was not received well, so I put it on hold,” Chris, now de facto head of the Montville Dog Park Commission, said. Interest in the park renewed in 2011 and Chris renewed his effort, starting a grassroots movement of locals. The town approved construction in 2014, after several years in limbo due to personnel shortages and lack of funding.
Chris said that no town funds would be used for construction. Chris has used local fundraising to fund the park. The park’s proposed location will be on Route 163 in Oakdale, across the street from Camp Oakdale.
Chris said the biggest obstacle to construction was time.
“We needed time to raise money, time to clear the land, time to schedule the work, [and] time for grass to grow,” Chris said. In addition to budget shortfalls, the park contended with Mother Nature. An October 29 windstorm knocked a tree onto a newly built fence.
However, this did not deter a dedicated group of volunteers. The park’s Facebook page displays pictures of volunteers braving the wind, rain, and cold to make this small recreational pleasure a reality. Lawton said that support also came from town offices, Montville Parks and Recreation, Public Works, the mayor’s office, and the town clerk.
“It will be nice to have a park of our own, instead of going to other towns,” Chris said. The dog parks closest to Montville are in Norwich and Colchester. The park’s rules and regulations will comply with normal standards, such as leashing and waste disposal.
In the future, Lawton said he’d like to have electricity and running water for the park, and to connect it to local hiking trails, essentially expanding the park.
Donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/montvilledogpark. The Dog Park Commission’s has raised over $14,000 of its $25,000 goal. Meetings are still being held for ideas and suggestions from the community. Meeting times can be found at www.townofmontville.org/dogparkcommission.