Honesdale Borough and state officials, as well as dogs with their owners, turned out in the rain on Monday, Dec. 9, to dedicate the Apple Grove Dog Park & Trail.
“The main thing is how close this is to town,” said Morgen R. Hatton, who came with his two dogs Scarbar and Budaka, who he noted are “really active” for being more than 10 years old. He said to own a dog, unless they are kept on a leash, you need enough land to let them run free.
He added about the dog park, “They did a great job. This will be a great place to be year-round…. I think this will be really helpful.”
Mayor Derek Williams lauded the effort of local residents who wanted a dog park and asked the borough to provide this space. He also thanked state legislators and the Greater Honesdale Partnership for their support in the project.
James Hamill, borough councilor and chairperson of the Park & Recreation Commission, also represented his employer, the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, which donated toward the project. He hailed the collaboration of the community, local government and state agencies as a success story.
“Now our four-legged friends have a place to play safely,” Hamill said.
“It was Peggy’s dream,” Brian Batten said. Batten, who operates Fins & Feathers pet shop in Honesdale, where Margaret Burkhead was a “long-time employee and dear friend.” She passionately wanted to see a dog park in town where dogs could run free, Batten said.
Former councilor James Jennings reported at the March 2022 meeting that a group led by Burkhead, as well as Derek Williams and Lisa Glover, expressed interest in starting a dog park. A petition of 500-600 names was presented. Honesdale Parks & Recreation worked on the idea.
Batten said that Burkhead took sick and died without seeing the project come to fruition, but he picked it up and helped. Her daughters Meghan Carney and Caitlin Burkhead attended the dedication.
“I think it turned out great,” Batten said. He brought his three dogs, one of whom had belonged to Burkhead. The dogs enjoyed running free at the new facility, he stated. He said he really looks forward to spring at the dog park. “It was a long time coming, but it takes time to bring to completion when you’re working with grants,” Batten said.
Apple Grove Dog Park & Trail is located at 1872 Fair Ave., immediately north of the borough pool complex. A paved trail connects the pool area parking to the dog park and the parking area on the Apple Grove Park side. There are two parts of the dog park, one for small and one for large dogs. Woodland Design designed the park, which is handicapped accessible.
The largest funding source awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which approved a grant of $114,000. The grant included a $28,500 match which was funded by money the borough set aside for parks, as well as in-kind work done by the borough’s Department of Public Works.
Hatton said the recent opening of Sycamore Point Park and its riverside trail at the end of 12th Street, which was a county project, and now the borough’s Apple Grove Dog Park, are “really a nice thing to see.”
Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.
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