Dog Park Now Located On City’s West Side

West Saint John now has a dog park.

The grand opening for the JDI Westside Community Dog Park is on Sunday at noon.

It is located at 701 Dever Road just behind the Peter Murray Arena.

“If you drive around the back of the Peter Murray Arena there are two baseball fields, there’s a tennis court, and what used to be the basketball court and an open court is now the dog park,” said Connie Quinn, an organizer for the dog park.

Quinn began the process of creating a dog park in West Saint John by applying for a grant through the city of Saint John.

“We applied for the $10,000 grant and received it, and we had to create a non-profit to receive the funds,” said Quinn.

From there, Quinn and the team of organizers were able to make connections and reached out to JDI who became one of the major sponsors.

“So, between JDI, Gulf Operators, NB Southern, and the city of Saint John we were able to create the dog park,” mentioned Quinn.

When planning to bring the dog park to the area began, Quinn and the team did not know exactly how much it was going to cost.

“We reached out to Weavers Landscaping and Fundy Fencing to help support the project, and they were able to give us quotes, which we needed to apply for the grant in the first place.”

“So, through JDI, they were able to cover Weaver’s estimate and that covered the cost of asphalt removal, topsoil, hydroseed, they also donated two park benches, and created signage for the park,” continued Quinn.

The city of Saint John will be doing the ongoing maintenance for the park.

The municipality also installed a gate so city employees cut the grass during the summer months.

Quinn added the park has a special meaning for her as her 19-year-old daughter who helped with the project passed away suddenly on September 19.

On the day of her daughter’s funeral, her dog Nova was hit by a vehicle and passed away as well.

The park has a bench in honour of Quinn’s daughter and dog Nova.