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Plans for a park within the city where dogs can run off-leash are still in the works despite a summer-long delay in the planning process.

The transition of three newly elected members to the city council in July postponed the plans for the dog park, said Councilwoman Sue Henderson, who also serves on the dog park committee.

“Reaffirmations [required by the new council] of policy calls on major projects [set by the previous council] within the city shifted the priorities of the council,” according to City Manager Terence Reidy.  Reidy is also a member of the dog park committee.

“I’m eager to get back to work on it,” Henderson said. “Somewhere in the city, we need a dog park.”

Initial plans to implement a dog park in Library Square Park were unsuccessful after residents attended council meetings to protest the park’s location.

For the next location, proposed in Sunset Park [shown above], committee members elected to take a more interactive approach so residents would be kept in the know throughout the process. They notified everyone within a 200–foot radius of the newly proposed location, said Henderson.

The Sunset Park location is still only a tentative proposal, Reidy said. The dog park would come at no cost to taxpayers, as the committee plans to fundraise and seek grants to cover costs.

At its last meeting in June, the dog park committee invited those residents and members of the public to hear a presentation on research and plans for the park and provide feedback.

About 10 people showed up at the meeting to ask questions and offer comment about the park, she said. Only one lived across the street from the Sunset Park location.

“Her biggest concern was a church festival in Sunset Park,” Reidy said. “She was concerned about whether the park would interfere with the festival, which it would not.”

Henderson hopes to resume work with the dog park committee by the end of the month, and also hopes Reidy will remain a member of the committee after his tenure as city manager expires Oct. 31, she said.

“I am still on the committee and working with the committee,” Reidy said. “I support the project as both a city manager and a resident. “

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