Although dogs may have to wait until spring 2026 to finally frolic off-leash in a permanent park, construction on Dartmouth’s long-awaited dog park is expected to begin this summer — if the town can secure the additional funding needed to break ground.

According to Assistant Town Administrator Chris Vitale, the town awarded the construction contract roughly two to three weeks ago to Ramco, a Bridgewater-based company that submitted the lowest-qualified bid. The base construction cost is approximately $388,000, but with contingency and administrative costs factored in, the project will come closer to $400,000.

The town previously received $291,670 in Community Preservation Act funds for the project, including $30,000 for design work. But with construction bids coming in higher than expected, Vitale said the town is now seeking supplemental funding.

On Monday, July 7, Vitale said a request package would be reviewed by the Finance Committee in the coming week, and in the meantime, town officials have been working to close out end-of-year accounts and pull any remaining surplus funds from other areas of the budget to bridge gaps.

“Assuming that our paperwork can get completed with a contractor and we can finalize the overall project budget,” Vitale believes construction could begin this summer. “We do have the contractor already starting to fill out the paperwork in preparation.”

Once construction begins, the project will likely stretch through the end of the calendar year, weather permitting. Officials plan to open the park to the public in spring 2026 once the weather is nice and the mud has cleared.

The park, to be built within the Dartmouth Regional Park on Harry M. Reynolds Drive, has been over a decade in the making. The Dartmouth Dog Advisory Work Group formed in the early 2010s, has spent years advocating for the project and helped secure initial funding through the Community Preservation Committee.

The park has faced numerous delays, including a complete cancellation in 2014 that forced the town to abandon its original design plans. When the effort resumed, the project had to start from scratch, gaining new approvals and navigating staffing shortages, the pandemic and various budgetary challenges.

In 2017, the town opened a temporary dog park near the planned site. The permanent facility will be larger, with designated areas for small dogs, improved landscaping and outdoor lighting.

Vitale said that earthwork and site preparation will take up a significant portion of the construction timeline, so the hope is to begin that phase early to stay ahead of potential weather delays.

“This project has really been years in the making,” Vitale said. “We're really trying to push this project forward and get the additional funding so we can get it over the finish line.”