Bearing the name of a local favorite son, the town’s first dog park should open by June 1, according to town officials.

Members of Brunswick Area Responsible K-9 Owners, or BARK, have completed more than 80 percent of their fundraising goal of $43,000 — enough to start taking bids on materials and contractors, group chairwoman Sally Loving said.

Town councilors agreed Monday, and voted unanimously to accept requests for proposals from contractors and vendors for fencing, benches and other materials necessary to open the park.

As soon as weather allows, the town will extend electricity and water access to the two-acre section of town land along the Androscoggin River Bicycle Path, just east of the Route 196 overpass and past the existing soccer field.

The park will be named Merrymeeting Dog Park in Memory of Jake Horgan, in tribute to the deceased son of a Brunswick veterinarian.

“It’s been a three-year process, and we’ve built a terrific coalition,” Loving said. “We’re still probably $5,000 or $6,000 short, but we’re hopeful that by the time you announce this the nonbelievers will know it’s going to happen” and the rest of the money will be contributed, she added.