Dog fight: After years of fundraising and controversy, Bluffton is still without a dog park

After nearly 10 years of discussions, a scandal, thousands of dollars raised and lost, and a great deal of paw pointing, Bluffton is no closer to having a dog park than it was when the idea was began taking shape in 2006.

And who's to blame for that lack of progress?

That depends on who you ask.

The Friends of Bluffton Dog Parks, the nonprofit group that has raised funds and advocated for the park, currently has more than $50,000 in its coffers -- money raised through popular events like Bark in the Park.

While many believe that sum is sufficient to build the park infrastructure, some former members of the board question whether the project will ever be completed.

Former board members say the current board is dragging its feet.

The current board says it is working hard and the ball is in the town's court.

The town says it hasn't formally heard from the board in nearly a year.

"This is a project where the wheels have come off the tracks," former board president Cheryl Raugh said earlier this week.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

The Friends of Bluffton Dog Parks have faced obstacles throughout its nearly 10-year history.

Organized in 2006, the board entered into a preliminary agreement with the town and Beaufort County in 2011 that would have allowed the construction of a 3-acre dog park within a town-owned portion of Buckwalter Regional Park.

But further analysis by county officials determined the area "was not an optimal location for a community dog park," according to town documents.

The location was too close to standing water and mosquito breeding areas, county officials told the board last year.

Another area in Buckwalter Regional Park -- about half the size of the first proposed site -- was shelved when residents of The Farm, a nearby neighborhood, complained about the potentially negative impact on property values.

In January, a third location was proposed: Oscar Frazier Park.

Despite some worry from neighbors in nearby Bluffton Park, that new site was found suitable by town and board officials.

"It's gone through so many iterations," mayor Lisa Sulka said of plans for the park. "It's been a challenge from the start."

ROCKED BY SCANDAL

In addition to those struggles, the Friends group very nearly ceased to be in 2013.

William Grooms, president of the board at the time, was arrested in June of that year on charges of embezzling more than $10,000 from the group.

At the time of his arrest, Grooms admitted stealing the money between June 2012 and June 2013 to pay for his gambling debts, according to a Bluffton police report.

A month later he committed suicide.

Grooms' widow, Amanda Mitchell-Grooms, was indicted in September 2013 of acting as an accessory after the fact.

Prosecutors opted in early 2014 not to pursue those charges.

BOARD SHAKEUP

After the suicide, there was a major shakeup and the board installed five new members, replacing almost all of its previous leadership.

Raugh stepped in as president and the group slowly but steadily rebuilt its cash reserves.

When Raugh left the board for personal reasons last year, she said she thought "we were on the 20 yard line and all the board needed to do was get the ball over the goal line."

Deborah Karambelas, the board's vice president, stepped into Raugh's role.

In the following months, other board members left the group both voluntarily and involuntarily.

Then, in July, board member Joan Gormley was informed by letter that she had been voted out.

The letter said it would be "mutually harmful to continue as partners," but provided no details as to why Gormley's involvement could be harmful to board's efforts.

Gormley said in an email earlier this week "the only reason I can think of for my release from the board in July is that I asked questions" about board operations.

"We where told by (current board members that) we could no longer say anything to the public on what we where negotiating for the dog park with the town and county. I questioned that," she said.

Carl Brinkman, the board's former treasurer, said, "Once (Raugh) resigned, (the leaders of the current board) have been antagonistic to everybody who was part of the former board," he said.

The agenda from the Friends board annual meeting last week included a note that meetings be "open and orderly," and all participants are "expected to conduct themselves with civility and courtesy."Regardless of perceived antagonism or calls for civility, the park remains unbuilt.

"The frustration is that everyone still wants the dog park. The board is the only thing keeping this from happening," Brinkman said.

Karambelas said while the board is working hard, "we are all volunteers with full-time jobs" and projects like this "just take time."

'PING PONG'

Part of the frustration is due to lack of clarity who will actually build and maintain the park.

Is it the Friends board?

Or the town?

"It's almost like playing ping pong; the ball keeps going back and forth," Karambelas said.

Sulka said while she is supportive of the idea of a dog park, if the town were to agree to play any role in building or maintaining the park "we would need the (town) council to weigh in on it."

"And I don't know (who on the council) is for it and who is against it," she said.

Town manager Marc Orlando said in an email earlier this week that the last time town staff and the board discussed such an agreement between the town and the board was nearly a year ago.

In January, town officials requested that the Friends board meet with concerned neighborhood residents and consider updating an agreement that would spell out each party's responsibility for the park.

"To date, we have not formally heard back from the board," Orlando said.

He added, "Should the board make a formal request and proposal, the town will consider it at an upcoming appropriate meeting."

That frustrates Raugh.

"The town is there and waiting," she said. "(Former board members) can't figure out what the holdup is."

Current board leaders say an agreement establishing the responsibilities of the town and the board regarding construction and maintenance will be presented to town officials soon, but the item has not been included on any scheduled town council or committee agenda.

"I wish I could say it could be tomorrow," Karambelas said.

Until those issues are ironed out, the park will remain a concept as opposed to a place where dogs and their owners play together.

Despite that, Karambelas remains hopeful.

"We will keep plugging forward and we will have dog park," she said.

The only question is when?

Follow reporter Lucas High on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Lucas.

Related content:

• Beaufort County nixes site for dog park in Bluffton, March 6, 2014
• Bluffton dog park group moving past embezzlement scandal, Oct. 12, 2013
• Dog park in Bluffton's Oscar Frazier Park advances, Jan 13, 2015

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Dog fight: After years of fundraising and controversy, Bluffton is still without a dog park."