Thanks to a dedicated community group, a dog park is coming to Winkler this summer.
City Council offered to provide the land earlier this year, with the hitch that a group of local citizens take the project on. A committee of volunteers quickly came together spurred on by the need for the facility.
"There's so many dogs in Winkler and there's no place for them to run off-leash and to mingle... it's very important for dogs to socialize," Organizer Martha Olfert says.
The dog park is also a prime place for dog owners to meet and socialize.
"It's just one of those things that draws you together, if you have a dog you can go up to another dog owner and have a conversation," she says.
After scouting a few locations within the community the group and city council agreed on a parcel North of PTH 14.
Since fundraising began this spring The group has raised close to $10,000 of their $15,000 goal.
Olfert explains the funds will help install a fence, benches and plant trees on a parcel of land adjacent to the Winkler Water Treatment Plant.
A recent fundraising BBQ last weekend raised nearly $2,000.
"It's amazing," she says, thanking the community and volunteers who believe in the project.
The group hopes to see the dog park opened this summer.