After 12 years, Bluffton is getting a dog park. But when?

After 12 years of lobbying for a dog park, Bluffton is finally getting its wish.

Friends of Bluffton Dog Park broke ground during a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at Oscar Frazier Park, its future location.

While Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka said Wednesday marked the official day of construction, those involved in its creation aren’t sure how long the project will take to complete.

Board members with Friends of Bluffton Dog Park estimate the park will be finished in late spring or early summer of 2018, but a lot of that depends on the sponsors and local companies that are donating their time and resources to turn the blueprints into reality.

“We are currently getting bids and getting people together. Mainly we are trying to get as much work donated as possible. With that, you have to work around their (sponsors’ and local companies’) schedules as much as possible,” Phillip Robinowich, president of the Friends with Bluffton Dog Park board, said at the ribbon-cutting.

Taylors Quality Landscape Supply Inc. already has cleared the underbrush from the wooded area where the dog park will be located.

Allcare Tree Surgery will begin to clear some trees on Friday, according to board member Pike Jones.

A site plan posted to the organization’s website shows the park divided into three fenced sections.

One area for larger dogs, one for smaller breeds and another for senior dogs.

Memorial park benches will offer people seating and inscribed paving stones, which have been an integral part of the fundraising aspect of this project.

“People have even been asking if they can memorialize sections of the fence,” Jones said jokingly.

Mayor Lisa Sulka said the town of Bluffton will provide security and lighting for the dog park, in addition to the land.

Maintenance of the property will be handled by Beaufort County.

“We don’t want to over-promise or over-do, but we will complete it as quickly as our sponsors will allow,” Jones said about the project.

“It will be a gentle process; we have one shot at doing it nice. So if we get in a big hurry, there’s a chance we won’t get it right.”

This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 5:07 PM with the headline "After 12 years, Bluffton is getting a dog park. But when?."