The city's four-legged residents could soon have a spot to call their own.
After receiving a recommendation from the Cold Lake Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee (RCAC), city council is exploring the possibility of creating a dog park.
“We have lots of wide open spaces around Cold Lake, but people that aren't necessarily comfortable taking their animals out like that, I hear it quite often that they would like to have a space that's contained where they can take their animals out and run,” said Coun. Chris Vining.
He added, “We've talked about it before when I've been on council and even with Rec. and Culture with the parks and trails plan that we did, one of the things was finding a spot for an off leash dog park.”
Cold Lake currently has one dog park, the K9 Club Bark Park located north of the 4 Wing campground on Queensway. The issue with the existing dog park is that while it's an off-leash park, it isn't enclosed and can be difficult to locate.
“One of the complaints with the area is that it's not fenced. Unless you have a very well trained animal, you could potentially end up with your dog lost in the woods somewhere or it is adjacent to some residential areas as well,” explained Vining.
A project that's been at the back of city council's mind for a while, Lions Park (located at 6015 50th Ave.) has been the main focus of discussion in the past. Due to its proximity to the Lakeland Humane Society, accessibility and already partially fenced in areas, council believes it's a prime candidate to host a dog park.
“One of the things that makes Lions Park a little bit attractive is that it's accessible by pedestrian traffic by Millennium Trail, it's accessible by vehicle because there's a parking lot there,” said Vining. “There's a lot of built-in benefits with Lions Park, as well as the synergy with the humane society.”
Discussion of a new dog park is coming at a time when the Lakeland Humane Society is getting ready to expand their facility. After years of fundraising, the local organization is hoping to start construction in 2017 on the approximately $2 million project.
At this point, the humane society is in talks with the city regarding the location of the new shelter. Shelter manager Kyla Hunter noted that until that's confirmed she can't say for certain they'll be close to the dog park, but regardless, it would be a major benefit.
“For years we've been saying a dog park would be really beneficial. Every time people come to town or they license their dogs they always want to know where the dog parks are. It's a huge need in this community,” said Hunter.
While Lions Park seems to be the popular choice, it's not the only location the city will be exploring. In the recommendation from the RCAC, the committee identified Imperial Park as a viable option. They suggested that a dog park be added into the Imperial Park Master Plan, which is entering into phase three of construction.
“I would like to see us designate an area at Imperial Park temporarily,” said Coun. Duane Lay. “We could build something there and try it out for a couple of years, we'll learn the dos and don'ts pretty quickly and go from there.”
Coun. Bob Buckle added, “I don't look at it as an either/or. I think Lions Park lends itself perfectly, but I think we should look at the master plan (for Imperial Park) as well. Even if we do it temporarily as Coun. Lay suggested.”
Council was informed that the ideal size for a dog park is a minimum of one-acre, which would leave a small footprint on the 300-acre parcel of land that is Imperial Park. The park would consist of a stretch of grass enclosed in a chain link fence, with benches and garbage cans. In addition, locating the dog park at Imperial Park would allow for cost-effective maintenance when it comes to mowing and garbage collection.
However concerns were raised, not so much about the park itself, but about the continually expanding scope of the master plan.
“Imperial Park I'm leery about. We have a master plan and we need to stick to it. We're always adding stuff and Imperial Park becomes a catchall for everything,” said Coun. Kelvin Plain. “I think Lions Park will suffice. We can take it to the humane society and talk about their build out.”
Both options are still on the table for the location of a new dog park. At the Feb. 16 corporate priorities meeting, city council tasked administration with figuring out the costs for a new dog park at Lions Park, as well as exploring the possibility of putting it at Imperial Park.
