Nov. 7—Plans for a long-awaited dog park and disc-golf course in Keene are moving forward with fundraising efforts for the dual project having officially kicked off Thursday.

This came after the final design for the new facility at Wheelock Park, designed by DuBois & King, was presented to councilors at a Municipal Services Facilities and Infrastructure Committee meeting a week prior.

At the most recent City Council meeting, councilors acknowledged the fundraising commencement and encouraged members of the public to donate.

DuBois & King is a Bedford consulting firm that the city hired in April for nearly $30,000, Andy Bohannon, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Facilities director told The Sentinel in July.

Dog owners as well as members of Keene’s Disc Golf Club presented their plans for Wheelock Park’s former campground, which closed in 2018, to the City Council in October. Many people have long pushed for a dog park in Keene, whereas members of the disc-golf club have sought the space for a second course that would be more user-friendly than the organization’s existing course at Otter Brook State Park.

The final concept places the dog park — which features an area for both large and small dogs — in the center and close to the site’s entrance, with nine disc-golf holes around the circumference. The plans also show a 6-foot chain link fence separating the dog park from the surrounding disc-golf facility.

Disc golf is a game in which players throw a plastic disc into a series of metal baskets on an outdoor course.

Amenities for dog park enthusiasts also include a pavilion and a canine drinking fountain.

In a phone interview with Bohannon the day after the design presentation to the MSFI Committee, he said it’s been a long time coming and he thinks both groups will be happy with the result.

“I think the dog park group will be relieved after having been at this since 2010,” he said. “Those past efforts got them where they are today. [The disc-golf park] is going to be a great addition to the city and as an educational component to really allow kids to learn the sport and for families to spend time together.”

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He added that each group would need to make the fundraising efforts through their own means and then gift the money to the city. He explained that each group has a required amount of money they need to raise, in addition to a shared expense of $100,000, split 50/50, which will go toward prepping the site for construction.

On its own, the dog…