Moorestown Dog Park Project a No-Go

Moorestown dog owners will have to keep waiting for a park for their pooches.

Boy Scout John Matthews, of Troop 44 at the First United Methodist Church, pitched the idea of a dog park to the township earlier this year as his Eagle Scout project. Despite some early stumbles, the township continued to work with the Scout through the summer, when the project appeared to hit a wall.

Township manager Scott Carew said officials, including he and parks and recreation director Theresa Miller, put a good deal of time and effort into working with John and investigating possible locations. But time and again, Carew said, they ran into obstacles.

Though John planned to finance the creation of the park (via fundraising), Carew noted that the township would have been responsible for the cost of maintaining it. Additionally, the park would have required certain infrastructure, including adequate parking, handicap accessibility and water service.

Miller said the township looked at more than a half dozen possible sites, starting with Pryor Park, and including Wesley Bishop, Strawbridge Lake, Memorial Field, Wigmore Acres (across from the high school on Westfield Road), a piece of Toll Brothers property, and others. Ultimately, none of the sites were feasible.

"There are no sites in Moorestown, at least on township property, that make this project easy," said Carew.

Miller praised John for sticking with it throughout the process.

"John was a trooper through it," she said. "He did a wonderful job ... It was really a collaborative effort."

In a statement provided to the Moorestown Sun, he wrote, "I sincerely appreciate the offers of support, both monetary and otherwise, that I received from so many people in Moorestown. I am disappointed that we weren’t successful in adding a dog park to Moorestown’s recreational facilities."

John said he is pursuing a couple new ideas for Eagle Scout projects.

Miller said she still believes a dog park in Moorestown is a viable project.

"If the means were there, it would be a wonderful facility. It would certainly be an asset to this town," she said. "I never close the door to anything."

Are you sad the project didn't work out? Where do you think is the ideal site for a dog park? Tell us in the comments below.