The Town of Amherstburg has launched a survey on Talk The Burg to see where residents want a dog park and what sort of features it should have.
The survey provides four potential locations, citing the characteristics of each, and asks residents to pick their favourite.
To help residents make the best choice, the survey offers the following guidance about dog parks:
- Barking noise may be offensive to neighbouring homes
- People could visit the dog park at odd hours
- Headlights will be visible from cars accessing the parking lot
- Parks will attract people from outside the neighbourhood or community
- Parks require two to five acres for dogs to run
The four parks identified in the survey and their associated pros and cons are:
- The Libro Centre/Larry Bauer Park: Close to urban centre and homes; no direct homes abutting, large area
- Anderdon Park: Minimal homes abutting; large area in the back
- Ranta Park: far distance from urban area and homes, smaller waterfront park could have other uses
- Golfview Park: minimal homes abutting; large area in back
The survey also asks questions about how often residents would use a dog park, whether parking is important, whether there should be separate areas for big and small dogs and what sort of amenities residents would like to see, from benches to teeter totters to dog drinking fountains and dog wash stations.
Please take the time now and provide your input to Town Staff in charge of the project so they can formulate a realistic plan and bring it to Council so we can get this project completed for the residents and dogs of Amherstburg!
A concept proposal to construct a dog park as part of an ambitious makeover of Ranta Marina Park was approved by the Parks Committee and approved by Council in the 2021 Budget, with funds being drawn from a $170,000 reserve dedicated solely to improving and maintaining the 17-acre park.
I supported the plan at both the committee and Council level because I’ve heard from residents who want a dog park and I’ve seen residents and their pooches voting with their feet, transforming areas around the community hub and the Libro Centre into impromptu, informal off-leash dog parks. I was disappointed the plan was not completed in 2021 and believe the concept proposal was too ambitious given the timeline and planning and public consultation requirements.
The best part of that plan was that it would have breathed new life into an under-utilized park with so much potential drawing on reserve money that can only be used for that park, but nothing has been lost. That money remains and so does the potential of that park, located as it is on the Detroit River with opportunities for trails, fishing platforms and a kayak launch.
Residents I heard from were happy the Town was finally going to get a dog park but they also expressed some reservations about the location, with many saying it made more sense to put it somewhere more central like the Libro Centre, the home of pet festival Woofa-Roo, which is planning to return this year after a pandemic-related hiatus.
Whether you prefer the Libro, Ranta, Golfview, Anderdon or another location, please fill out the survey so we can move this project forward.
The survey can be completed on Talk The Burg by Monday, February 28. Hard copies of the survey are also available for pick up in the vestibules at Town Hall, at 271 Sandwich Street South, and the Libro Centre, at 3295 Meloche Road.
Alternate formats area available upon request and any additional accessibility needs should be communicated to [email protected].
Take the survey!
