Dog owners on Capitol Hill are getting a present just in time for the holidays!  The construction contract for Kingsman Dog Park was officially bid last week and December 17^th was the pre-bid conference.  The pre-bid conference, held at the future site of the park, gave contractors an opportunity to meet with officials from DPR, see the site for themselves, and ask technical questions.  Eight contractors attended the conference and DPR expects five or six bids to come in.

By law, the bid has to remain open for thirty days, in this case until January 11, 2010. The DC Office of Contracting and Procurement typically schedules a formal bid opening within a few days of the closing date. Sherry Frear, our contact person from DPR’s Office of Planning and Capital Projects, expects that construction will begin in mid-March 2010. 

            Since the park is getting nearer to becoming a reality, members of the Hill Hounds community may want to attend the Annual Meeting of Hill Hounds on January 21, 2010 at SOVA coffeehouse, located at 1359 H St. NE.  The meeting will begin at 7:30 pm.  The meeting will focus on finalizing design elements of the park and establishing fundraising goals for the next year. 

Tune in to WAMU, 88.5 FM, this Saturday, September 5, at 7 AM to hear me talk about Hill Hounds and Kingsman Field Dog Park. I was interviewed for a segment called "Dogs and Society: Inside Local Dog Parks" that will be airing on The Animal House this week. If you're not accustomed to being awake at 7 AM on Saturday, you can also find the program posted on http://wamuanimalhouse.org shortly after it airs.

Here's some more information about the program:

The Animal House is a weekly discussion that explores the latest in animal science, pet behavior, and wildlife conservation. We hope to deepen human understanding of animals and explain the powerful bonds that link us to the animal world. Our goal is to be fun, substantive, and appealing to a broad audience -- both those with pets and those without them.

A big thanks to the Capitol Hill Community Foundation for granting $2,500 to Hill Hounds to contribute to amenities at Kingsman Field Dog Park! Here's some information about this great organization from their website:

The Capitol Hill Community Foundation draws on the generosity and idealism of our neighborhood to help build a stronger and more caring community—a place where families can flourish and where every resident can share in a better future.

We support activities, projects and organizations that enrich the lives of residents and celebrate the history of our Capitol Hill community.

Since its founding in 1989, the Foundation has directed more than $4 million to a broad range of projects. Funded entirely by annual donations from members and friends of the community, the Foundation proudly directs every dollar contributed to grants. All administrative costs are covered by the members of the Board of Directors.

Amazing! On Thursday, we put out a call for folks to donate toward the last $500 we needed in order to meet our goal of raising $15,000 by the end of May. Within hours, the goal was met.  And then folks kept donating!  And in four days we raised $1,600!

Thanks to everyone who made a contribution! These funds will go a long way toward adding amenities to Kingsman Field Dog Park and maintaining the park once it's finally built! We also got some great new brick inscriptions, which will be posted soon.

According to an email sent today by Chateau Animaux, one of our neighborhood pet shops, they may be featured on CBS' Early Show tomorrow.

CBS News reporter B.J. Delia interviewed Chateau-Animaux co-owner Dennis Bourgault and groomer Carolyn Rispus this afternoon for a story scheduled to run tomorrow morning on CBS' The Early Show. The feature will be about the much-anticipated arrival of President Obama's dog Bo to the White House earlier today.

The interview focused on what supplies would be necessary for the arrival of the pup, and the grooming needs of Portuguese Water Dogs. Bourgault discussed the basic items required for the First Family's new dog, such as a bed, crate, chew toys, food, treats, collar and lead. He was also asked how the arrival of the dog would change the Obamas' lives, and for advice for the Obamas as first-time dog owners. Rispus discussed her experience with grooming Portuguese Water Dogs, and the importance of not having them trimmed like Poodles.