NORWICH – A public hearing affording city residents the opportunity to weigh-in on the prospect of a dog park within the City of Norwich's Greenway Park will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at One City Court Plaza.

The common council set the public hearing date at its January 22 meeting, and City of Norwich Alderman Ward 1 Matthew Caldwell said, "The Common Council is not required to hold a public hearing before deciding whether or not to approve the dog park, but we really want to give the public an opportunity to come forward to share their thoughts."

Since summer 2018, Norwich High School senior Hannah Baker has been raising funds, planning, and lobbying city officials to approve the creation of a dog park in the City of Norwich, and for the city to be the recipient of donations from foundations for the project.

As of the January joint committees meeting, Baker had raised $4,000 to date to go towards the creation of the dog park; NBT Bank has agreed to provide matching funds upon the city's approval of the park, and Chobani provided a CAD drawing of the prospective park and has agreed to help with engineering and the ordering of materials.

Baker's initial estimates indicated the cost of the dog park would be around $20,000, however that price was cut in half after Chobani offered to participate. Including the funds Baker has raised and funds pledged by NBT Bank, she has raised nearly enough funds to complete the project.

"I am very grateful for all of the support I have received so far for the Norwich dog park project," said Baker. "There are dog parks in so many communities and having one in Chenango County will be great for all the residents, visitors and dogs. It will provide a place for the dogs to socialize and run off leash and it will be a place for dog owners to talk and share information about dogs and our community."

Caldwell said, "Hannah Baker has worked very hard and has considered many different suggestions in her plans. The public hearing will give her and the common council and mayor one more opportunity to listen to the public before deciding whether or not to move forward."

During the January 8 joint committees meeting, Alderman Ward 5 David Zieno suggested if approved, the dog park should be named The Baker Dog Park.

Meeting minutes from the January 22 common council meeting note that City of Norwich Parks Commission Chairman Chris Sprague addressed the council and said that the parks commission currently feels that Greenway Park is the best location for the dog park, but proposed the dog park be its own separate park.

Sprague said there may be an opportunity to reconfigure the park to include the dog park while also updating the playground, as the placement of the dog park would necessitate the loss of some older playground equipment, such as the merry-go-round, toddler toys, and swing-set.

Caldwell said, "I invite all members of the community to come and share their thoughts on the proposed dog park. This is the first time in my experience that we're holding a public hearing on an issue when it's not required."

For those interested in supporting the creation of the dog park, Baker is currently seeking individuals to sponsor memorial benches for use in the park. She has also partnered with the Blueox Neighborhood Store at 4823 on Route 23, where people can buy pin-up dog treats for $1 to be displayed throughout February, and Pet Street Station located at 6159 County Route 32 in Norwich, which is selling raffle tickets for a Valentine's Day Basket with proceeds benefitting the dog park.

Ongoing fundraisers for the dog park include a bottle and can drive for donors who mention they would like to support the dog park at Norwich Nickels Redemption Center, located at 6090 on Route 12 in Norwich, and a Go-Fund-Me page located at www.gofundme.com/help-create-a-dog-park-in-norwich. You can also email Baker at HLB823@yahoo.com.