The Carter County Parks and Recreation Board scored a much needed grant to the tune of $25,000 for the construction of a dog park, which was one amenity that would be provided once the bigger Gap Creek Park project is completed.

The park is a shared venture with the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department. The cleared site for the future park is located off of Gap Creek Road near Mary Patton Highway.

As it was reported in the Star back in June, the Board applied for the grant to the Boyd Foundation’s Dog Park Dash to help offset some of the costs of construction of the park, which was estimated to possibly top out at around $700,000.

Ken Gough, who serves in a volunteer role as the Board’s chairman, shared the e-mail announcing the win received from Dog Park Dash funded by the Boyd Foundation. It reads, “Your community could not have won without your support! We will be announcing check presentation dates shortly and cannot wait to see you and your furry friend there! Thank you again for sharing your support for our mission to make Tennessee the most pet friendly state!”

The foundation is named after its founder, Randy Boyd. Boyd currently serves as the interim president of the University of Tennessee. He also created the animal products company Radio Systems Corporation. Boyd and his wife, Jenny, are philanthropists who have reportedly donated millions to multiple charities, including the current dog park venture.

According to the Dog Park Dash website, the Boyd Foundation announced in 2018 the goal of “creating 100 dog parks across the state, where animals can play in safe spaces and people can grow their relationships with others.”

“The Carter County Parks & Recreation Board is thrilled to receive this grant, and we look forward to commencing work on Gap Creek Park in the near future,” said Gough.

Gough says the dog park is just the beginning, and that he and the board will be applying for more grants, which coupled with county and city funding, will finally bring in a public softball field, picnic areas and walking trails.

The area around the proposed park site also has another treat for park goers of historical significance due to the developing Overmountain Men Victory Trail that runs adjacent to it and will extend to Abingdon. Gough said that there are plans to put up a monument celebrating these frontiersmen who took part in several battles during the Revolutionary War’s southern campaign.