At Thursday evening’s Hays City Commission Meeting, commissioners heard a request to move forward with construction of the Hays Dog Park.

Fundraising for the park’s completion was to be completed in three phases.  Initially, Friends of the Hays Dog Park (FHDP) had been raising money for phase 1, which  covered the small dog park.

Parks Director Jeff Boyle explained that the project has the funds to move forward with more than just the initial phase.

“If you look at the actual phase 1 cost and the phase 2 fencing cost, the total amount is $46,810.13.  The Friends of the Hays Dog Park actually have accumulated $47,500 in donations and hard work through garage sales etc. and have the funds to make this happen.”

Previously, the group reported to the commission they had exceeded their fundraising goals for phase 1 and were given permission to seek bids for that first phase.  The commission then gave the group permission to get an estimate from the company with the winning bid for the fencing portion of phase 2.

FHDP President Kim Perez told commissioners the bid and estimate was still under what the group had raised, and then some.

“I can’t give an official number, we still get donations daily.  We’re sitting a little above $50,000 right now.  By our guesstimates, we almost have, (again I would want to sit down with the check book before we did this), but I think we have even the money to complete the other items with phase 2.”

Perez added that fundraising will still need to take place for some of the other items in the park, including establishing a fund from which maintenance costs will be pulled.

All four Commissioners present Thursday (Commissioner Schwaller was absent) unanimously approved construction to begin right away on phase 1 and the fencing portion of phase 2 for the Hays Dog Park.

Boyle said that construction can begin next week.