Big Step Made In Opening Framingham's First Dog Park

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham on Thursday began accepting bids for the construction of the city's first dog park, which will be an approximately one-acre facility at the south end of Farm Pond Park.

The process of building the city's first enclosed dog park has been years in the making, but has been coming together rapidly over the past year. In March, the Stanton Foundation awarded the city a $23,000 grant to begin designing the park following a site-selection process in late 2020.

"Construction includes excavation, installation of fencing, concrete pad, irrigation, numerous agility nodes, signage, installation of rice stone and additional construction related to installation," Framingham's Thursday bid announcement said.

In June, Framingham Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Tom Begin said the total cost of the park will be about $262,000, which includes construction and future overhead costs. About $225,000 will be funded by the Stanton Foundation, with about $18,000 coming from city coffers.

The Stanton Foundation, named for former CBS president Frank Stanton, has funded dozens of dog parks across Massachusetts, including the new park in Natick along Route 135.

To learn more about the dog parks effort, visit the FramBARK Facebook page or the city's dog park webpage.