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Construction of a $100,000 dog park in Hyattsville, which originally was slated for completion last spring, won't begin until later this summer.

Work has been delayed because a fence that was originally proposed for the facility would have run over the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's Green Line underground easement.

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission project coordinator Eileen Nivera said in an e-mail that WMATA's "very stringent insurance requirements for the fence contractor" led her to move the fence location.

She hopes to have the park ready for use by the end of the summer, she said.

The nearly one-acre park will be near the intersection of Ager Road and Nicholson Street. The next closest dog park is a half- acre facility in College Park that requires registration and a fee for usage.

The Hyattsville park will be free and open to the public.

According to Nivera, the park will include separate areas for large and small dogs, each with six-foot fences.

Other amenities include benches and bag dispensers for owners to clean up after their dogs.

The park will have a committee of residents who will give input into a set of rules to govern park use, Nivera said.

M-NCPPC will maintain the park.

Plans for next year include constructing a shelter and a water line for an artificial turf field.

Hyattsville resident Ashby Henderson, 40, said she's looking forward to taking her two dogs — one of which is a puppy — to the park.

"I think it would be nice to have a large area where [the puppy] could really learn to come off leash and know she's going to be safe," Henderson said. "Also, the social aspect is really important for dogs."

Not having to pay a fee for use of the park likely will spur many of her neighbors to make use of the space, Henderson said.

"I think the community will really appreciate it," she said. "I live right up from the [Arts District Hyattsville] and people are moving in with more and more dogs."

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.