SANDPOINT — In the weeks leading up to their annual fundraiser, Sandpoint Kiwanis Club members were trying to decide who would be this year’s beneficiary.

A timely presentation during the club’s Sept. 21 meeting by Lilly Mitsui of Canine Companions for Independence sparked an idea by Kiwanis board member Dan Hanson. The club ultimately decided to donate the funds to Panhandle Animal Shelter and its effort to build an off-leash dog park adjacent to the shelter.

“But our mission statement is supporting the youth,” said Kiwanis president Dick Vail.

So they began brainstorming ways to support local youth, while still helping out with the dog park effort. In talking with Mandy Evans, executive director of PAS, Hanson learned the park would need items such as benches and chairs, which could incorporate dog motifs. Kiwanis has a standing relationship with MakerPoint Studios and the career-technical department at Sandpoint High School, and Hanson thought they may be able to help out with the project. Having SHS students design and fabricate the benches, and other items such as dog water fountains, would help out the dog park effort and support the community’s youth, Vail said.

“It worked out really well,” Vail said.

The Oct. 10 fundraiser, held at Idaho Pour Authority, garnered $2,553 for the dog park items.

It was standing room only at IPA, Hanson said in a statement, as Kiwanis sold more than $1,000 in $1 raffle tickets, raised $650 from the silent auction, and more than $900 in donations. Hanson said it was obvious the community supports the need for dog park, as IPA owner John Hagadone said it was their busiest night of the year.

The park will be built on land owned by PAS to the west of the shelter’s thrift store sorting facility. Once the park is complete, the city of Ponderay will take over the maintenance of the park as part of their parks program, Evans said. While they are still finalizing the design for the park, Evans said, the project is moving forward.

“There will be a small dog area and a big dog area, and it should have the capability to be used all year,” she said.

The dog park will be open to the public and allow dogs of all sizes and ages to get out and play, while serving as a social outlet for their owners, offering a space for the elderly, families, singles to congregate and enjoy their pets and each other.

Evans said the goal is to begin construction on the new park in the spring to have a usable park by summer. About $32,000 of the estimated $100,000 needed for the dog park has been raised, she said, which will include fencing, lighting, water fountains, benches, garbage cans, and poop bag stations. In addition, the cost includes signage, trees, ground cover and a parking lot.

To help make the park a reality, PAS is seeking sponsors to fund the park’s development. Evans said the shelter got their first “Best in Show,” sponsorship of $10,000 from Ezydog in Ponderay on Thursday.

All sponsors who donate more than $1,000 will be featured on a sponsorship sign outside the park facing the parking lot and thrift store. This sign will be seen by the estimated 20,000 visitors to the park each year, plus more than 40,000 people who visit the thrift store and shelter each year, according to the sponsorship statement.

To become a sponsor or for information, contact the shelter at 208-265-7297. Anyone interested in donating to the dog park can also do so online at bit.ly/2BGViBi. Donations to PAS need to marked if they are for the dog park in order to ensure they go into the designated fund.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.