Dots that open house attendees placed on a map show that the Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District’s 14th Street property is a clear favorite as a potential site for a fenced dog park.
Dots that open house attendees placed on a map show that the Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District’s 14th Street property is a clear favorite as a potential site for a fenced dog park.
A well-attended drop-in session earlier this month helped the parks and recreation district get a sense of what the public is looking for in terms of dog-friendly local parks.
Drawing the most support for being the site of a new fenced dog park was the Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District’s 14th Street property, which is already fenced on three sides.
The 67 attendees at the Feb. 5 open house were each given two dots to register their preferences, and the 14th Street property drew 23 votes, far outpacing Sorosis Park at four votes, and Thompson Park at five votes. Garnering 19 votes was allowing off-leash use along the Riverfront Trail.
Firehouse Park drew only three votes for the idea that dogs should be on a leash at all times. Drawing just one more vote, at four, was the proposal that dogs should be required to be on leash at all times in all district parks.
Proving much more popular, with 37 dots, was the idea of off-leash hours at Firehouse Park being expanded to include mornings, afternoons and evenings.
Firehouse Park is in Columbia View Heights, next to Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue’s Station 2.
A citizen complained last fall that dog owners were not abiding by Firehouse Park rules on when dogs could be off leash, and the district decided to hold a meeting to gather public input.
The parks district has a stringent rule in its parks that pets must be on a leash at all times. The less stringent city rule that local police enforce is that dogs must be under the owner’s control, but not necessarily ‘on leash.’
Since the parks district doesn’t have its own law enforcement arm, the simpler thing, and a common thing elsewhere, would be to have the parks rules match the city rules, Parks District Executive Director Scott Baker said earlier.
That idea proved popular with attendees, also. Getting 24 votes was the notion of the Firehouse Park following the same rules as the city. That same notion, of following city rules at all district parks, drew 30 votes.
Baker said the issues that have been reported to the parks district with people using Firehouse Park for off-leash use at all hours — rather than just the morning hours of dawn to 9:30 a.m. as posted – is that “The Dalles needs a dedicated off-leash dog park.” Another option, adding off-leash hours in mornings, afternoons and evening at all district parks, drew 28 votes.
Baker said four of the five parks district board members were at the open house, and they all talked to dozens of people.
The board met Wednesday night to discuss dog parks and leash rules.
Baker said of the open house, “It was a great turnout, people care about this issue, it’s an important issue – [but one] without a clear answer that is likely to make everyone happy. If there was, we would just do that.”
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