Havre Dog Park Club finishing planning on Havre park

Havre's Dog Park Club continued Wednesday planning work for the new park on land south of town near the Havre Ice Dome that Havre City Council approved leasing to the club for $1 at its Feb. 20 meeting.

Board member Renee Pribyl - who resigned from the board Wednesday during the monthly meeting at the HRDC Building because she is moving to Great Falls - said the club's Fundraising and Advertising Committee is discussing selling signs to be displayed at the park.

"We are going to be ready to do fence here pretty quick," she said. "We're that close to getting the fence ready to go."

The committee discussed selling 2-foot-by-2-foot signs to be displayed in the park. She said that the board would have to approve the initial sale price and the cost of renewal. The signs would be hung on the fence of the dog park.

Pribyl said that the club will be responsible for the maintenance of each sign as well as responsible for any damage or theft of sign? The money from each sign will also go toward building the dog park.

The board approved that the first-year cost of each sign will be $500 and the cost of renewal will be at $350.

Dog Park Club Secretary Karen Datko said that she will also write up a draft of the contract which will be presented to the businesses and get a list of businesses from the Havre Chamber of Commerce. The list has a total of 350 businesses, she added.

Montana State University-Northern Civil Engineering Technology student Keith Treece told the club that, for his senior project next year, he and four other students would like to design the dog park. He said the planned design will have to be extensive to fit into the parameters of what the requirements for his class, but the board doesn't need to do everything within the plan.

"We would have to do a little bit more than just the dog park," he said.

Lanier said that even if the club doesn't want to do the full build immediately, it would still be good to have the plans for the future.

"What's nice is that it's an idea or a master plan for the future," he said.

Stewart said that the idea sounds good, however the board is bound by some restrictions on what the club can do in terms of building, such as Mayor Tim Solomon requesting the dog park does not encroach on the dyke close to the park.

Treece said that the project doesn't have to get going until August or September, when his associates come back to town, and then they can start surveying and testing the soil.

Board member Charitee Palmer suggested that Treece make a presentation and speak to members of the club's Planning Committee.

The board also discussed a raffle it is holding.

The club's Facebook page said that Havre Dog Park is selling raffle tickets to win a personalized painting of a pet, painted by Lindsey Ratlif, with tickets are $5 each or five tickets for $20. People can contact the Havre Dog Park Club to buy their tickets. All money raised in the raffle will go toward building the facility.

Pribyl said the drawing for raffle will by on May 28 and tickets need to be returned by May 21.

The board also voted to change the date of its monthly meeting.

The club originally met on the third Monday of every month at 6 p.m., but in February changed that to the third Wednesday to avoid conflicting with Havre City Council meetings.

Stewart said Wednesday that the date has to be changed because of conflicts with board member's schedules.

Board voted tentatively to schedule the club's monthly meetings to the third Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m., pending the scheduling information and the availability of a meeting room at the HRDC Building.

Stewart said he also wants to require people to attend multiple meetings before they can be appointed to the board. He said he would like to see people more than once before they can be appointed to the board and would like to get to know them before candidates are voted on.

The board approved his motion that if people want to be a candidate for the board they will have to attend at least two meetings within three months. Pribyl said that she shared Stewart's concern.

"I would like a formal introduction of people," she said. "I feel bad talking if I don't know who you are. I want to welcome people who have never been to a meeting before."

Board member Bill Lanier agreed.

"It is a respectful thing to do," he said.

The board moved that at the beginning of each meeting it will start with a welcome and a round of introductions.

The board also appointed two new board members Wednesday.

Palmer was appointed to the board and elected chair of the Fundraising Committee to take the place of Pribyl.

"I like being able to vote on the subjects I find important to the dog park because the dog park is important to me," Palmer said.

The board also appointed Tammy Dion, who said that the reason she wanted to be on the board was because she thinks it's important for dogs and their owners.

"I want to have a safe and friendly place for my dog and everybody else's dog to go to," she said.