Off-leash dog park is officially open

Times Reporter

 

The off-leash dog park is open and ready for business. The park is located on a four-acre parcel of land, which is directly at the north of the west end of Slater Road. The Town is leasing the land from the Western Irrigation District, WID. 

“We were going to put it in town but there were some concerns brought forward from residents,” said Doug Clarke, Parks Supervisor for the Town of Strathmore. Obviously not everyone is going to be happy but Clarke said he feels they have done their best to meet many of the concerns that arose about the park. 

“We think that while it’s unfortunate that most users would have to drive there, it responds to a lot of the feedback we got at our open house.”  

Originally, if the park had been placed in town, the land would have only been approximately a two-acre parcel. 

“A real benefit is the fact that now we’ve been able to provide a larger area with a much more natural type setting,” said Clarke. 

Unfortunately there is no water. It is something which had been looked at, but there was no land available which had a little stream or any sort of water running through it. 

There is a gravel path that is roughly a half kilometre long. The park is fenced, there are benches and picnic tables, garbage bins and poop bag dispensers. With the pathways, people don’t have to worry about stepping in a gopher hole. Because the park is four acres, it is big enough to accommodate all different sizes of dogs. It is street parking only at this point for users, but the possibility of a parking area is there for the future, if the park becomes popular enough. As it stands ,approximately 20 vehicles would be able to park comfortably on the street. 

“I’ve had positive feedback from people so far. When it’s finished I think it’s going to be something people can appreciate, and not just dog owners,” said Clarke. 

The park will be open year round. Part of the reason the path was put in, is when it snows the parks department can clear a pathway. They won’t do the whole park but they will make sure it is still usable. 

The Town encourages anyone under 16 to be accompanied by an adult, and they would like any dogs in the park to be registered by the town.