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

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.