FOLEY, Ala. — The city of Foley is one step closer to establishing its first dog park.

During its regular meeting last week, the City Council agreed to go to bid on the project.

Prior to the vote, city leaders discussed the idea of asking bidders to provide prices for three variations of the project, which included full price for both the park and parking lot, and variations of the parking lot.

In April the city of held a public-involvement meeting to gather input on the pending project, with several canine enthusiast weighing in.

Architect Chad Watkins led the meeting, explaining that the facility is to be housed on about two acres next to the municipal employee clinic. It will be divided in half, with parking spaces taking up one acre and the dog park located on the other.

“In our capital budget, we have about $290,000 for both the park and parking,” Foley City Administrator Mike Thompson said.

Discussions at that public hearing included a shallow water feature, separate areas for dogs with varied temperaments and a possible bronze sculpture dedicated to the first Foley Police Department K-9 officer.

City leaders said the purpose of asking for various bids from multiple bidders reflects effort to keep the project cost-effective.

“We may choose to do some of the landscaping ourselves,” Thompson said.

Wit that in mind, the city is also part of an online contest to win either $100,000 or $25,000 for a dog park. To participate, residents can visit PetSafe.net/BarkforYourPark daily and vote for Foley. As of June 9, 1,369 votes have been cast. Finalist cities in the competition will be announced Friday, June 13th.