Town opens new off-leash Dog Park

Times Reporter

 

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new off-leash dog park took part on Nov. 3. The park is located on a four-acre parcel of land which is directly to the north of the west end of Slater Road. “It’s been open now for a few weeks and we’re getting tons of good feedback on it, people are really happy. It’s being very well used,” said Doug Clarke, Parks Supervisor for the Town. 

People seem to want to get involved now that it is done, Clarke said. He has noticed now some of the dog owners appear to want to take some ownership in the park and get more involved. He said it could be a good thing, but there is always a potential for confusion in a situation like that. Councillor Bob Sobol spoke to the rest of council on the Nov. 3, concerning the new dog park. He said the park exceeded his expectations and he was impressed with it.  Sobol also told council he would like to see a committee of community members put together to help take care of the dog park, and look into concerns and issues which may arise. Councillor Pat Fule offered to sit on the committee if there was a need to have a council member on it. It was a unanimous vote from council to begin looking for people to chair the committee. 

The only criticism the parks department has had about the park is the issue with gopher holes. The department has been working diligently to fill as many of the holes as they can. 

“The gopher (holes) will be virtually filled in, but I would still caution people to be aware there might still be holes,” said Clarke.  

The other concern brought forward was stroller access, and the parks committee and the town are working to try to find a solution. As of yet they have not been able to, but the issue is still being looked at.

 

Celebration of lights donation 

The Celebration of Lights group was given good news when council agreed to donate $2,500 to the group. Some council members would like to see the park stay open later, and the general consensus was that the celebration could be one of the things which could help make the town a destination, and not just a place to pass through.  

Names advisory board fills up

There were two vacancies left on the names advisory board. The item had been brought before council previously, but the former council made a motion to wait until after the election to fill the last two spots. John Whieldon and Don Kormos were appointed to the board for a two-year term.