SANFORD — The inscriptions on the T-shirts the students created puts it this way: “If we build it, dogs can run.”

They’ll run, and play, and do what dogs do, inside a fenced-in space, somewhere in the city, while their owners socialize outside.

That’s the proposal being promoted by a group of seventh- and eighth-grade English Language Learners at Sanford Junior High School as a service learning project.

Right now, the students ”“ and a committee made up of a dozen adult supporters ”“ are scouting parcels of city-owned land that might be suitable.

The land, the students said, should be open space, within a walkable distance to school and downtown ”“ “near the urban core,” said student Anna Saing.

It can’t be too near the water, because of shoreland zoning issues.

“Easy access, but not near too many houses,” said Anny Chap.

“It needs to be big,” said Sherolyn Negron, so the dogs can run.

“Near the school, so we can walk over and clean (it) up,” said Tran Truong.

Some of the students are dog owners ”“ a couple said they have Chihuahuas and one has a Pomeranian ”“ and one student has a hankering for a Pembroke Welsh corgi.

But whether they have a dog at home or not, they’re all on board with the dog park proposal ”“ and it seems others are, too.

Lauren Adomaitis, who chairs the dog park committee, said she and her husband have two dogs ”“ she described them as high-energy, young pups ”“ and a small yard.

“We usually travel to Kennebunk or Biddeford to use their off-leash parks, but because of the time spent driving there, it is usually a once-a-week outing,” said Adomaitis.

Adomaitis was among committee members attending a city council property subcommittee meeting earlier this week; there the subject was discussed.

“I left the meeting feeling confident,” said Adomaitis in an email. “It seemed like they were interested, as long as everything was able to check out with locations and so on.”

Subcommittee chairman and city Councilor Alan Walsh agreed.

“I think it’s a great idea, and something the community needs,” he said. “We just have to figure out where, and do some standards and guidelines on how it will operate.”

Walsh said he hopes a location can be secured before school lets out in June, and so do the students. Edie Lacroix, the English Language Learners teacher, said if the land parcel is identified by the end of the school year, it is possible the park could be up and running by fall.

The students have been working toward their goal for a while, beginning with an information session one fall night at Gowen Park. They made posters and designed a logo and prepared a slew of questions.

“We got feedback from residents,” said Chap, posing questions like: How is a dog park good for the town, how a dog park might be good for both dog owners and non-dog owners and more.

The students created a website, www.sanfordmainedogpark.weebly.com, and a Facebook page, Sanford Maine Dog Park, earning 203 “likes” since Jan. 23. They made T-shirts to sell as a fundraiser, because they know there will be expenses for fencing and more.

Then, they visited dog parks in Kennebunk and Biddeford, said Negron, and wrote “compare and contrast” essays on what they’d seen.

For the students, the creation of a dog park is not only a very real quest, but also a learning experience.

Those essays were a lesson in writing skills, said Lacroix.

Truong also writes a blog on the website, while Chap drew the dog logo. The students also made a video about their proposal.

They’re getting some assistance from the Animal Welfare Society in West Kennebunk. Executive Director Steve Jacobsen said the agency has been involved with three local dog parks ”“ Kennebunk, Ogunquit and Biddeford ”“ and have helped dog park committees in Belfast and Millinocket with their plans. The AWS provides an advisory role in the Sanford dog park project and also a practical one ”“ the Animal Welfare Society has established a separate account for those wishing to make donations to the Sanford dog park fund.

“Dog parks can be real community parks,” said Jacobsen, and for those who may express skepticism, he said the expectation of behavior at a dog park is not different than on the street ”“ there’s no expectation of aggressive or unruly behavior.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Jacobsen.

The students are, too.

After all, the T-shirts say it: “If we build it, dogs can run.”

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, Ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.