Councillors discuss merits of dog park

Most councillors were in favour of developing a park that could provide off-leash opportunities for dogs near the west end of town during a discussion on Feb. 19 at the policies and priorities committee meeting.

In the discussion on the park idea, town administrators gave two locations – one on land owned by Olds College and one on land in Mountain View County near the waste transfer station that is owned by the town.

Prior to any decisions being made on the park, Barbara Hill, the town’s director of community services, told councillors that a meeting of dog owners would need to take place to discuss the proposal.

"There is a lot of community work involved. They will self-monitor," Hill said.

Mayor Judy Dahl said she wasn’t in favour of the college site, in part because the town doesn’t own that land. On the other hand, in addition to the town owning the land on the west side of the community, it is easier for people to find it.

"It’s very visible," she said.

Harvey Walsh was among several councillors who agreed with Dahl.

"I certainly prefer the west option. It’s a piece of land that doesn’t have a lot of other options," he said.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, Dahl said she receives three or four calls per month from residents expressing the need for such a park.

"The off-leash dog park is a priority right now. It is an area that, myself as mayor, I receive at least three or four calls a month. We’ve had citizens express concerns about their own safety in town with regards to walking. We need to move this forward in a safe manner for the safety of the community," she said.

Dahl said providing canines and their owners with a separate venue to exercise is a growing trend among municipalities and because the town is growing, it should provide an area that a growing number of dog owners are asking for.

"We have to be able to provide a means for them to walk," she said.

Dahl said since taking over the mayor’s chair in 2004, the lack of a dog park in town has been an issue since about 2005.

"It’s getting more difficult with the … building in the community to be able to have dog owners let their dogs run. (An off-leash dog park) has, through the growth in town, got louder and louder and has come to a point where people are literally stopping (councillors) on the street and asking when we are going to provide an open space for them," she said.

Dahl said that while she appreciates Olds College offering its site, the town-owned site near the landfill is much larger at six to eight hectares and wouldn’t expire in five years, as the agreement with the college would.

"When we’re investing the amount of dollars we will be to grow this into a possible walking trails site into an off-leash park, it just makes better sense," she said.

Hill said there has been serious discussion about the idea since early 2012. She said now that there has been some council discussion on the project, the next step would be to work with Mountain View County on a development plan and get input from dog owners on what they would like to see.