Turner Valley council voted to look at creating an off-leash dog park near Turner Gate after a presentation from the Town’s Paths, Parks & Rec Advisory Committee (PPARC) on April 19.
The committee identified a nine-acre parcel of land, owned by the Town, that is thought to be a suitable location for the proposed park.
Irene Waring and Joel Den Haan appeared as committee members before council to give the presentation.
Waring said the site will require some fencing and amenities, but the bones are there for an off-leash park.
“It’s already being used, unofficially, as an off-leash park,” Waring said.
Den Haan said the site, below the water reservoirs, is unlikely to be used for other development. There is a small parking lot on the site, at the end of Turner Dr. SW. Other advantages to the site include easy access and connectivity to other trails, and good site lines in the area.
“As an owner of a small dog, I want to know who the big dogs are,” he said. “That’s something that’d really important in an off-leash area.”
The proposed off-leash park would fit with a possible trail connection along the river valley, and is accessible by the new Roberts Street pathway, he said.
“The idea would be to build this as an amenity that enhances the parks and pathways system as well," he said.
Waring said $20,000 is a rough estimate of the costs for the whole project and would include fencing, and other items like signs, benches, garbage or recycling bins and dispensers for dog bags.
She said a prior study, completed in 2017, recommended that council move forward with an off-leash area, but a change in council and town administration meant it never went forward.
The study found an off-leash park would fit with the Town’s ‘Back to Nature’ brand and goal of promoting outdoor activity, Waring said, while also improving river access for residents.
According to the presentation, there are currently 532 licensed dogs in Turner Valley, 119 more than when the study was done in 2017. Dogs are present in approximately 33 per cent of households in Turner Valley.
Initially, the PPARC looked at a location near the new park off Decalta Road, but decided it was unsuitable for an off-leash park.
