Starting a dog park
When Stu and Marilyn Baker were thrown out of High Point State Park for the last time (since they let their dogs Jack and Jill run off leash), Marilyn said to Stu, “Why don't you start a dog park?” He said, “Why not!” — and that is how the Wantage Dog Park was conceived.
The first step, in the fall of 2005, was an appointment with Jim Doherty, the administrator of Wantage Township. He was asked, “Can we have a piece of land for a dog park?” He saw nothing wrong with the idea, thought Woodbourne Park could be a good spot, and presented the idea to the governing body.
The Board said yes, but the location was shifted to an eight-acre piece adjacent to Woodbourne. We were thrilled at the beauty, size, and location of the land and thankful the township had offered it. The only catch: the Dog Park would have to raise all the needed funds privately. In this day of close taxpayer scrutiny of township expenses, this was the only way the park could fly.
Getting to work
The next step was forming a committee of officers: veterinarians Dr. Bob Potter and Dr. Karen Bullock, author and dog trainer Diane Bauman, and Stu Baker. What did we need? Money, engineers, architects, more money, surveyors, excavators, fence construction, county driveway permits, more money — and finally, more money.
The seed funds came from very generous donations by the Lou Dobbs Family, the Stu Baker Family, Dr. Bob Potter, Diane Bauman, Lori Baker Fazeli and Family, and Ben Baker and Family — $25,000 in total. We were on our way! The Wantage Dog Park Association was formed as an advisory board for the governing body and Recreation Commission of Wantage Township, along with a 501(c)(4) nonprofit application and NJ State incorporation.
Opening day — in December!
Our thinking was that the park would open by late spring or early summer 2006. Were we wrong! Every aspect except getting the land had delays — even the weather conspired against us, since the proposed parking lot area has a clay base that had to dry out before heavy equipment could move in. The driveway and fencing were finished during the second week of December 2006. A road sign on Route 628 announced the park was coming, an “OPEN” sign went up on each side — and the park was officially open.
The December weather before Christmas 2006 was very mild, and by the first weekend we were getting hundreds of visitors per day. We had thought the park would get no visitors in the cold and snow. Wrong again! The dogs loved romping in the snow with no mind to the temperature. Soon we were getting over 1,000 visitors a week.
As for fundraising — the key to the park's success — pavers, benches, and business signs were sold, and direct donations came in at a very good pace. That is still how the park is funded to this day.