Quarryville Borough recently kicked off its fundraising campaign for a community dog park it plans to build on the northeast side of the pool operated by the Southern End Community Association (SECA). The borough partnered with SECA to operate a booth at the organization's annual Doggie Dip event Sept. 7, where committee members for the project offered information about the park and sold accessories to raise money for the project.

While local residents' dogs enjoyed a splash in SECA's pool to mark the end of the summer season, volunteers from the borough sold acrylic dog bones the pet owners could engrave with their family name or with the names of their dogs. The customized bones will hang on the fence after the new park is constructed. Supporters also bought T-shirts to show their enthusiasm for the project and took a peek at an illustration of the new dog park's layout displayed at the booth.

Quarryville Borough Council member Susan Noel said the committee hopes to raise $25,000 for the project, and it will begin looking for contractors as it nears the fundraising goal. The amount of the fundraising goal increased after the borough requested a paved parking lot for the park instead of a gravel lot, but construction will kick off once the committee has raised enough money to install the fence. In addition to running a booth at the Doggie Dip, the committee is continuing its fundraising efforts by contacting local businesses to offer sponsorships and asking community members for support. Noel added that the committee also plans to schedule more fundraising events in coming months.

"We've already gotten some donations from local businesses and residents of the area," Noel said. "We've received comments from community members about how great the dog park will be and that it's a wonderful thing from the borough. It's great to see the support; we're trying to give citizens a fun place to have their dogs play and socialize."

The location of the new dog park, which will occupy an open space between the pool and Route 472, will offer local residents a fenced-in space to safely play with their pets and gather with fellow dog owners without worrying about passing traffic or potential safety issues in the woods. Noel and five other members of the borough council formed the committee for the project earlier this year after local pet owners voiced their concerns about having no place to let dogs off-leash. The dog park committee presented the proposed layout of the park to Quarryville Borough's streets, infrastructure and parks committee, and the project moved to the council in April after Noel conducted a survey to gather the public's opinion. The survey yielded an overwhelmingly positive response, and the council held a town hall meeting to answer questions in June. Noel said the committee hopes to build the dog park before winter and pave the parking lot in the spring.

Community members may visit the Quarryville Borough office during its operating hours to view the concept drawing of the park. For more information, including details on how to make a donation, email office@quarryvilleborough.com or call the borough office at 717-786-2404.