Nolensville Off-Leash Dog Park

And the Dog Park is open!

2009-03-08T17:30:00.003-05:00

Let me start by saying I'm quite embarrassed it has been so long since I last posted. It is surprising how busy a 1.5yr old can keep you. The great news is that we now have a fully functional dog park! There are two sections, for small and large dogs.

We visited the park today and had a blast with our two labs and getting to meet some really nice people (hey Brian & Carrie). As spring weather is finally here, please make plans to visit the park whenever possible.

To access the park, drive to downtown Nolensville and turn east on to Rocky Fork Rd. Part of the street will be blocked saying "Detour" or something to that effect as they have now closed the other end of the street near the new elementary school.

Look forward to seeing you there!

We have a fence!

2008-09-29T06:30:00.003-05:00

I'll try and add some pictures later, but the fence for the park is up! You'll find it has two sections, one for small and large dogs.

I wasn't able to check closely enough to determine if the water has been run already. Stay tuned and hopefully we will be playing with our pups there soon...

Very special thanks to The Tennessean!

2008-06-16T19:09:00.002-05:00

We've been quite fortunate all of the media coverage for this project and I simply cannot thank The Tennessean enough for it. We were contacted by Mitchell Kline last week for a quick blurp and some pictures. I'm quite happy to say you'll be seeing a lot of me, Bailey, Raven & Hershey at the dog park before you know it (unfortunately Joyce had school the day this was shot).

Here is a link to the full article for all those interested:

Second dog park will let pups frolic with friends

We're getting there! Update from WCPR...

2008-06-06T09:05:00.002-05:00

Let me start by apologizing for the delay between posts. I'm usually a tenacious "ankle-biter" but wanted to give the bond sale process time to play-out...

Some really great news from Bob at WCPR:

The bonds have been sold and we now have our funds!
Bids should start coming within the next few weeks
The ground has been marked for fencing.
There will be two separate fenced areas, one for large and one for small dogs.

I know this seems a long time coming, but it looks like things are on their way!

We have bonds approved!

2008-03-24T17:28:00.002-05:00

Heard the following from WCPR today:

"The bonds were passed at the commission meeting on March 10th. It does however take some time to sell the bonds. I would imagine you are looking at sometime in early summer before we will have the funding in house"

While it won't be here for Spring, I think we've got to be happy that it is coming. We've got to remember that this is the govt. we're working with and they can only move as fast as the red tape allows.

Update from WCPR

2008-03-01T06:46:00.002-06:00

As alluded to below, few things in the government move quickly. From WCPR:

"The county postponed the voting on the bond issuance until it's March 10th meeting. After that I will have the okay to start getting purchase orders for products for the dog park.

I haven't forgotten you, things just move very slow with the government."

Be assured, I'll follow-up shortly after the 10th and let everyone know what I hear...

Dog Park coming as early as Spring '08!

2007-12-08T13:29:00.000-06:00

I have great news guys! WCPR has assigned Phyllis Huffman to oversee the dog park project. Phyllis stated that the county should release funding mid-January and construction will begin shortly there after. With any luck, we can all meet for the grand opening in the Spring!

I know everyone is immensely excited to finally see this come to fruition. Stay tuned and I'll keep you informed as now info arrives.

Donations now at $2,405!

2007-11-03T06:15:00.000-05:00

Received the good news from WCPR just the other day. They also stated it would be the first part of next year until they could access the bond money, so hopefully we'll have construction starting in the spring.

Thanks to all who keep spreading the word!

How you can help!

2007-10-08T13:23:00.000-05:00

Supporting the "Bark Park" is easy:

Make your check payable to Williamson County
Specify Nolensville Dog Park on the memo line
Drop-off or mail your check to any of these locations

Lee Cooper
401 Cobblestone Ct.
Nolensville, TN 37135

Nolensville Vet
7204 Nolensville Rd.
Nolensville, TN 37135

WC Parks and Recreation
Attn: Bob Feinstein
1120 Hillsboro Rd.
Franklin, TN 37064

Your cancelled check to a government department is proof of your tax-deductible donation, so don't lose it!

The Girl Scouts are coming! The Girl Scouts are coming!

2007-10-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

The Dog Park mission is about to receive some new troops! I spoke with Lisa Miller the other evening and her Girl Scout troop wants to adopt the Dog Park as their bronze award service project. We couldn't be happier to have them (and man they make some slammin' cookies)!

All of the girls are sixth graders at Sunset Middle and will be assisting with fund raising, park layout and communications. Nothing like a bunch of hyper sixth graders to give us a bit of extra momentum!

Sign is back up!

2007-10-03T13:36:00.000-05:00

After a small run-in with the city of Nolensville's sign collection dept (who knew), we now have a permit and the sign is back up! You can find it right in front of the First Tennessee Bank.

Special thanks to First Tennessee for allowing us to use their property for this cause. Please stop by and thank these kind people for helping our cause.

$2,000.00 Raised!

2007-08-31T14:50:00.000-05:00

The Nolensville Dog Park Project has raised just over $2,000.00 of its $3,500.00 goal. To everyone who has donated, thank you SO MUCH for your support!

Don't forget: The Broken Wheel Festival Pet Parade will be held next Saturday, September 8th at 10:00 AM at the Nolensville Rec Center. Bring your pets and enjoy what promises to be a beautiful morning! We will be there on behalf of the Dog Park Project, so if you haven't made a contribution yet but would like to, you will have an opportunity at the parade. See you there!

Vicky Travis & the Brentwood Journal do it again!

2007-08-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

Vicky, we simply can't thank you enough!!!

Brentwood journal Publishes Article On Us!

2007-08-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

With a project like this, getting the word out is by far the most important think we can do to ensure success. Vicky Travis and the Brentwood Journal were kind enough to publish an article on the project this week. Check it out and please SPREAD THE WORD!!!

GREAT NEWS - The project has raised $1,500.00!

2007-08-07T18:15:00.000-05:00

We are almost half-way there! Thanks to a donation received today, we are now officially past the $1,500.00 mark. We want to say a big thank-you to everyone who has contributed so far and encourage all of you dog-lovers who are still thinking about it to go ahead and take the plunge. Remember, the donation is tax-deductible, there is no minimum contribution, and you, your kids and your dogs will all enjoy using the new "Bark Park." Help us spread the word - tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers and fellow church-goers and let's "Git 'er Done!"

To contribute, make checks payable to Williamson County and write "Nolensville Dog Park" on the memo line. You can drop them off or mail them to any of these 3 places:

Lee Cooper
401 Cobblestone Court
Nolensville, TN 37135

Nolensville Vet Hospital
7204 Nolensville Road
Nolensville, TN 37135

WC Parks and Recreation
Attn: Bob Feinstein
1120 Hillsboro Road
Franklin, TN 37064

We have our first donation thanks to Duclos Survey & Design!!!

2007-07-25T15:50:00.001-05:00

We have our first company donation and it is a VERY generous one! Kirk & Dawn Duclos of Duclos Survey & Design are submitting a check that really puts this project well underway.

Please, if you happen to know these two generous souls, thank them for their contributions to this cause. They really have stepped-up to the plate to make this become a reality!

What Will it Look Like and How Can I Help?

2007-07-13T14:05:00.000-05:00

The goal is to model Nolensville's off-leash dog park after Maggie's Bark Park in Franklin. For those who haven't visited, take a look at the picture above. The park will be enclosed by 6ft. chain link fence, and will have benches, agility equipment, water, dog toys and trash receptacles. Your dog will be running, playing and making new friends in no time!

Please show your support by making a tax-deductible donation. Raising money is the final step in this process, and every contribution, no matter how much or how little will help. Your dog knows you're thinking about it...... and he or she is already thanking you!

Supporting the "Bark Park" is easy:

Make your check payable to Williamson County
Specify Nolensville Dog Park on the memo line
Drop-off or mail your check to any of these locations

Lee Cooper
401 Cobblestone Ct.
Nolensville, TN 37135

Nolensville Vet
7204 Nolensville Rd.
Nolensville, TN 37135

WC Parks and Recreation
Attn: Bob Feinstein
1120 Hillsboro Rd.
Franklin, TN 37064

Your cancelled check to a government department is proof of your tax-deductible donation, so don't lose it!

Good news! Meeting with Williamson County Parks & Recreation Director went extremely well!

2007-07-12T19:17:00.000-05:00

The other evening I met with Doug Hood, Director of Williamson County Parks & Recreation, and Bob Feinstein, Deputy Director, out at Nolensville Park and pitched the idea of the dog park. While I had spoken with Bob briefly on the concept a couple of weeks back, it really helped to walk the ground and get a feel for what the layout of the park might be. Both Doug and Bob jumped in with both feet, offering ideas on how best to supply water for the dogs, agreeing upon an area for the fencing to run and even several ideas on different apparatus they could build for the park. It was a very productive meeting and all parties are feeling good about the project.

We do have some homework though! I had already volunteered to start a fund raising campaign to help grease the wheels and show community interest in the project. Doug stated this would go a long way to securing additional funding, reassuring me he felt confident we can get this done, and Bob provided several recommendations on how we can go about it. So, at this time, here's our list of financial objectives:

Raise $3,500 of funding through the community.
Complete fund raising efforts by mid-October.

While $3,500 is no small amount, I have to think that we can raise a decent portion of that through the local businesses in Nolensville. Both Doug and Bob agreed they thought that would be a good target. I think we should place a donor plaque near the entry gate at the park for any individuals or businesses that contribute $100+ to the cause. Keep in mind these donations will be tax deductible and go to a great cause. The mid-October time frame goal is important as the county government's budget year begins in July. That means WCPR has more money in discretionary funds now than they will the remainder of the year and we'll need to move quick to have any part of it.

So that's the awesome news! We now have WCPR's blessing to proceed with the next phase of the project, which is fund raising and generally showing community support. I cannot stress to you how important it is to let your voice be heard if you think this is a good idea. Comment on this blog, donate however much you feel the effort is worth and tell EVERYONE you know in the area about this. As family friendly a place as Nolensville is, I can only imagine how popular the idea of a dog park in the area would be.

So, where are we planning to put the park?

2007-07-11T19:23:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of Google Maps, the highlighted area is our target. It's just to the west side of the parking lot and should provide plenty of natural shade in the afternoons with the trees lining the creek. The location gives immediate access to the park from the parking lot and shouldn't impede any additional development plans just north of the highlighted area. Keep your fingers crossed and hopefully this will fly.

Got another recommendation? Don't hesitate to comment and we'll present it to Williamson County Parks and Recreation...

Welcome to the Nolesnville Dog Park Blog!

2007-07-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone and thanks for your interest in this project! Our goal is to raise funds and eventually construct a dog park at the park on Rocky Fork Rd.

Stay tuned as we'll be starting a fund raising effort soon, posting images of how the dog park will be laid out and other general ideas for apparatus inside the park.