When Shaleena Jones showed up at the District of 100 Mile House committee of the whole meeting on April 24, she came armed with a dream, a plan, cost estimates and six supporters.
Jones belongs to a local dog owners group, 100 Mile Dog Pals, and the members get together every Sunday and take their dogs on walks through the community. They often let their dogs off their leashes to run in the area behind the Outriders riding arena or in the fenced-in section at the South Cariboo Visitor Centre.
Noting the group numbers around two dozen on any given Sunday, Jones told council they would like to have a dog park. They are looking for a safe, closed environment where their dogs can run free and have fun with the other dogs.
Not only would a dog park be a benefit 100 Mile House dog owners, she added it would also attract tourists if they knew there was a safe place to allow their dogs out of the vehicle for a good run.
Jones identified Centennial Park, just beyond the tennis courts and towards the creek as the ideal place for the dog park.
She noted there is water available at the park, and there’s a picnic table in the area. The grass is already being mowed and the district would only have to add a couple of garbage cans for disposal of dog waste
After handing out a conceptual drawing of the group’s vision for the park, Jones told the councillors the main cost would be the fencing and she offered two options.
In each case, she noted the fence would have to be six feet tall to keep the dogs enclosed. Using a 1,000-foot perimeter, Jones said she got a $20,000 quote for chain-link fencing, while the post-and-wire cost would be around $2,100.
It would have to be a double-gated area, so dogs can’t escape when someone is trying to bring his or her dog into the compound.
“Of course, people are going to have to be responsible for their own dogs, and there should be appropriate signs posted.”
Coun. Ralph Fossum said he was sold on the idea, but not necessarily on having it in Centennial Park. Noting there may be some site ramifications, he suggested it might be something that should be referred to staff.
“I can also appreciate there may be some opposition to using that portion of Centennial Park and then there’s the costs that might be associated with it as well.”
Coun. Bill Hadden said he thought the dog park has some good potential. “It might draw people into the park.”
Fossum added it was hard to anticipate any negative reaction and to some people Centennial Park is “almost sacred territory.”
When he asked Jones if she had considered another location, she said Centennial Park was ideal but putting the park behind the arena would be another option.
Noting the area behind the arena is in an agricultural area, Hadden said he believed Centennial Park would be a more consistent use for the dog park.
Acting mayor Dave Mingo told Jones she had a very dog-friendly council in front of her. He said the proposal would have to be referred to staff and, perhaps, the neighbourhood would have to be polled.
Fossum moved the dog park project be referred to staff for a recommendation to look favourably upon the request. Staff would have to investigate the site, look at costs and then contact the neighbours to gauge their thoughts on the project.
Reacting to the councillor’s question, Jones said her group would be willing to match costs with the district. She added they would like to share the work, too.
With that said, Hadden seconded the motion, and it was passed unanimously by the three councillors. Mayor Mitch Campsall and Coun. Spence Henderson were not at the meeting.
Following the meeting, Jones said she was pleased with how quickly the presentation got to the motion stage and she looks forward to hearing from district staff.
The next steps, she added, are getting some volunteers on board to start knocking on neighbourhood doors, and then fundraising for fencing.
Jones said they already have an e-mail – dogpark wantedin100mile@gmail.com – for those who want to help the cause. They can also check out dogparkwanted on Facebook.