During tomorrow’s meeting (April 11), the city council will hear an update on the city’s off-leash strategy to track the development of future dog parks.
The city adopted a parking strategy in January 2017 that focused on potential scenarios and creative solutions to meet parking services by targeting underutilized or redundant parks for higher priority alternative uses – including off-leash areas.
As a result, in the spring of 2017, park staff turned the underutilized Glenview baseball field into Prince George’s second dog park at Corporal Darren Fitzpatrick Bravery Park.
Other potential locations identified as part of the Park Strategy Action Plan for future dog parks as part of this low-cost conversion process are Malaspina, Ingledew and Heather Road parks.
The city says the running costs for dog parks are mostly made up of garbage disposal and the delivery of dog litter bags at a cost of approximately $ 15,000 per year.
The city has proposed capital work for expanded off-leash areas in College Heights and the Millar Addition neighborhoods in 2021, which has allocated $ 25,000 in capital expenditures.
No significant increase in operating costs is expected due to the additional off-leash areas that have been converted from existing parking spaces.
In its report to the city council, the city says “Off-the-leash areas build community and promote social health and wellbeing by creating a connected and inclusive community”.
Prince George first introduced off-leash / under-control pilot areas under the People, Pets and Parks Program in 2002, but it wasn’t until 2011 that the city developed its first dog park.
In April 2011, the council passed the Duchess Park Plan, which paved the way for the development of a new community park that included the city’s first official off-leash dog park.
In July 2013, after extensive consultation of the community with the surrounding owners and user groups, the designation “pilot” was removed and both Ginter’s Meadow and Moore’s Meadow became official off-leash / under-control areas.
You can view the full agenda for Monday’s meeting online.
