Dog

Heritage Park off-leash dog park plans reconsidered, scrapped

Report content

Amid community backlash, Sarnia council unanimously this week walked again any ideas for an off-leash dog park in Heritage Park.

Short article written content

“I have never ever been given far more e-mails and cell phone calls than I did on this park,” very long-time town councillor Dave Boushy stated.

Council Feb. 28 – also unanimously – authorized city staff members to appear into precise places and extra specifics for prospective off-leash parks in Heritage and Tecumseh parks.

Information were being envisioned as element 2023 budget deliberations.

The additions would have introduced the variety of community off-leash parks in Sarnia to three, together with area in Germain Park opened in 2017.

April 11, council reconsidered that determination, then voted to axe the Heritage Park job. Scheduling for an off-leash park in Tecumseh Park is however a go, council listened to.

Lack of parking at Heritage Park and problems about safety and sound, amongst other individuals, ended up amid a deluge of complaint letters published from Heritage Park neighbours inquiring council to reconsider.

A single human being also wrote a lengthy rebuttal in favour of trying to keep Heritage Park off-leash park programs.

Coun. Brian White reported he frequented the park and agrees it’s not ideal for an off-leash park.

“I think every single inch of grass is utilized at some point by people for other makes use of,” he mentioned.

“And I value that staff was on the lookout for a place to do a great issue. Definitely as most of us on council know, it was not obtained extremely well at all.”

Coun. George Vandenberg made the reconsideration movement.

Employees will appear at options, community providers normal manager Stacey Forfar claimed.

“We are observing a ton of off-leash canine operating about some of our ball park locations and in other recreational enclosed property,” she stated.

Short article content material

“It does effects all those property, so the capacity to shift that use into a specified location would certainly enable in conditions of a lot less put on and tear.”

There have been grievances about puppies becoming off-leash in high-use parks, she stated.

Personnel imagined “’Well, if we can corral them into a particular region, it would type of enable most people to be capable to use the park,’” she stated.

Sarnia also demands to acquire a nearer appear at its community enter approach, given that several who complained said they weren’t informed of the issue until eventually immediately after the conclusion was made, nor a study at speakupsarnia.ca asking for enter, Mayor Mike Bradley explained.

There had been 225 responses.

On the internet surveys are helpful for community input, but have to have to be employed in live performance with other techniques, Bradley mentioned.

“I don’t know what the response is … but I assume we need to talk about that,” he said.

Workers test to use all the methods at their disposal, including social media, CAO Chris Carter explained, incorporating staff will seek advice from with other municipalities to see if they’re executing everything in different ways.

And “maybe occur back with an best approach with regard to these processes shifting forward,” he claimed.

[email protected]

Related Articles

Back to top button