Dog owners in Lake Country have a place to exercise their pets off-leash, at least temporarily.
The Woodsdale Road off-leash dog park was closed mid-October when the fencing was removed. Installation of temporary fencing on the parkland near the tennis courts has been progressing this week.
When it was first announced the fencing would come down, Lake Country council heard from dog owners during the public comment portion of the council meeting on Nov. 1. After that, arrangements were made for modu-loc temporary fencing to be set up on the naturalized parkland northeast of the Woodsdale Tennis Courts for temporary use as an off-leash dog park.
While work has been ongoing to prepare a five-acre parkland site on Cemetery Road to become the new long term off-leash dog park, the time constraints with weather and cost for site works including water, parking and fencing, are straining the patience of those passionate about having a public off-leash dog park in the interim, the district said in a press release.
Funding requests for the site works is included in the 2017 budget process. The first special council meeting to consider the proposals is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 29. The meeting is open to the public.
“Within the Parks and Recreation Master Planning process we have heard from dog owners and other interest groups that would like more public amenities developed,” said the district's director of infrastructure services, Greg Buchholz. “In addition to the Cemetery Road parkland property, we’ve identified some areas for potential use as dog beaches as well.
"The Parks and Recreation Master Plan process is still ongoing," he said, "and a balance between the many desired uses of public parkland is crucial for the long term benefit of our growing community.”
As good neighbours, dog owners are reminded to consider the residents and parkland users in the area of the temporary site by keeping dogs on leash under their control and care on their way to and from the park, and by picking up and disposing of waste.