News

Newport selected as finalist for dog park grant

By Patrick Adrian
Staff Writer
NEWPORT — Newport residents and its neighbors are encouraged to “vote early and often” in a collective effort to fund a community dog park in the area.

This week, Newport was named one of 30 nationwide finalists in consideration for a $25,000 grant to fund a community dog park. Bark for your Dog, a grant provided by national pet security company PetSafe, will award five grants to the communities that receive the most online votes during the month of August.

Newport is the only finalist from New Hampshire and northern New England, including Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts.

But winning one of the grants will be a challenge.

Newport, with approximately 7,500 residents, is the smallest community of the 30 finalists. Additionally the competition includes communities in major U.S. cities including Detroit; Milwaukee; Memphis, Tennessee; and Washington, D.C.

But rather than be discouraged by the glaring population disadvantage, Newport area residents are encouraged to consider this their proverbial Spanish Armada or John Henry moment, as an opportunity to demonstrate the power of community, coordinated strategy, and New England persistence.

“I would love to be able to show the power of our communities to the rest of the country,” said Christine Benner, Newport economic development coordinator. “Our small towns often get overlooked for these kinds of amenities, so we can definitely show the country how strong and well-knit our communities are.”

Benner’s optimism in Newport’s chances are not unreasonable when considering the contest rules.

First, anyone may vote in this competition. All one needs is an email address to visit www.barkforyourpark.com and cast a vote.

Secondly, people may cast a new vote daily, from now until August 31.

In fact, people can vote multiple times per day, depending on how many email addresses one holds.

These stipulations, when combined, grant an edge to communities that can garner the most dedicated and determined supporters.

“Everyone in our area has a stake in this, from Claremont to Lempster [and other neighboring communities,” Benner said. “It’s a dog park for everyone to enjoy.”

The strong connections between towns in the Sugar River Valley could be a sizable x-factor in this nationwide grant competition, Benner noted. Rural communities like those in Sullivan County have historically maintained strong connections to their neighboring towns, particularly in respect to enjoying each others’ recreational and cultural offerings.

Additionally, these smaller and closer-knit communities make it easier to spread communication using platforms like community cable television or community Facebook groups, which a majority of residents will use to access information, Benner added.

In contrast, Washington, D.C. lacks such community connectedness, as Benner and this reporter — both former D.C. residents — discussed.

For example, the dog park sought by the Washington, D.C. finalists will primarily serve a relatively small percentage of the city’s residents and visitors. The number of people might still be significantly large but perhaps not beyond the Newport area’s ability to compete with them.

But Newport will definitely need the voting support from neighboring communities to overcome the population advantages of the other finalists, according to Benner.

“We can’t do it alone,” Benner said. “This has to be treated like a regional goal, to create something that everyone needs.”

The Town of Newport is collaborating with David’s Dawgs, a local nonprofit group organized by Newport residents Tobin and Annette Menard to raise funds to build and maintain a dog park in Newport.

Benner said the proposed park would be “state of the art”, with sections designated for large dogs, small dogs and a training area. The park will also be handicapped-accessible in compliance with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).

To cast a vote for Newport visit barkforyourpark.com. People may vote daily through Tuesday, Aug. 31.

To learn more about Newport’s community effort to build a dog park, visit davidsdawgs.com.

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