Southwood Drive, River Street West, and the old sanatorium grounds are just a few of the locations being considered for a new off-leash dog park.
The locations were included as part of a presentation parks manager Tim Yeaman gave at the June 21 executive committee meeting. Council has agreed to consider funding a new off-leash dog park at the 2022 budget debate.
While some council members have expressed a preference for one particular area, Mayor Greg Dionne says he’s waiting to make his decision.
“I haven’t seen the locations yet, and I want to go look and see what he (Yeaman) has recommended,” Dionne said in an interview.
Dionne added that the parks likely wouldn’t be ready for use until 2023.
Yeaman presented options for five locations in Prince Albert. Others include a 68.83 acres space near 17th Avenue and 15th Street East, and a 71.54 acre space just off Mattes Avenue, which would be accessible by way of First Street East.
The old sanitarium site is located north of the river, just off Hwy 55 and Sixth Avenue North East. That site contains enough space for a 26.2 acre park.
The area around the Alfred Jenkins Field House was not considered, but that may change. Yeaman said they could add more options before 2022 budget deliberations get under way.
“It’s certainly not something we would shy away from,” he told council. “We could certainly go back and have another look at it. I think there’s an opportunity here, before we get to 2022 budget deliberations, to have another look around the City, and had an opportunity to identify some smaller locations that would make off-leash areas.”
Yeaman added that they’ve also considered making parts of Little Red River Park off-leash spaces. He said some dog owners already let their pets off the leash in the furthest reaches of the park, something city administration is trying to work on as best as possible.
“We recognize that there are other areas in our community, and we should always keep an open mind and look at those,” he said.
The 17th Avenue and 15th Street East property is owned by the City, but is not inside City limits. Building a park there would mean consulting with the RM of Prince Albert on regulations and policies.
The River Street West and Southwood Drive options have significantly less space. The River Street option, which would fit between Seventh and Eighth Avenue, is around 1.3 acres. The Southwood Drive option, which is located inside a residential area, would be around 2.14 acres.
Both locations would require fencing if approved. The other three locations would be open space parks.
In his report, Yeaman wrote open space parks should be physically separate from general public spaces, which means avoiding locations around playgrounds, sports fields, public pathways or schools.
“This may not always be possible or desirable,” he wrote. “But, proximity to such public areas will increase the City’s exposure to potential liability.”
During the meeting, Yeaman told council the department has already started discussing liability and insurance issues with the City solicitor.
The cost of creating a park in each area has not been determined.
“Costs associated with the off-leash parks would vary from park to park, and would requires further investigation depending on priorities and the wishes of council,” he said during the meeting.