Guardians and Public Comments
- Dog Park provides opportunities for physical health and mental health. It is like a sanctuary where people feel safe and can be alone with their dog. The dog park is also a community where people can walk together and share.
- Dogs have space to run, are healthier and are not crowded where conflicts could occur.
- The dog park has a positive economic impact on local businesses.
- Many people have moved to Westminster because of the dog park.
- Over 80% of the people who took the surveys wanted the dog park to
- remain at 420 acres. Speakers told City Council that the will of the people should be followed.
- Point was made that the park is 24-years-old. The city has promoted the dog park and still does today evidenced by the Standley Lake pamphlets guiding people to the dog park.
- Suggestions were made to Council that PRL should follow the Stewardship Plan created in 2014; for example, volunteer clean-up days and maintenance of the dog park.
- An environmental biologist countered the ERO report regarding the short grass prairie, open space endangered species and e-coli in the ditch.
- City Council was presented facts about the Guardians. Ages range from 20 to 81 with diverse occupations. There are 370 people signed up with the Guardians. The committee has put in approximately 2000 volunteer hours.
City Council Comments
- Freitag, City Manager: The CAT couldn’t reach consensus, so staff will be looking at all the ideas from CAT, adding in cost analysis, and will present options (as determined by staff) to City Council on June 3rd at the Study Session. Final vote by City Council is scheduled for June 24th.
- DeMott: When submitting options for the Study Session, asked staff to include an option to leave the park as is and estimate proper management costs.
- Ezeadi: Asked staff why the 2014 Open Space Stewardship plan has not been followed. City Manager explained there had been a lot of Open Space acquisitions immediately following the implementation of the Stewardship Plan and due to staffing problems, etc. it had kind of gotten away from them. Councilor Ezeadi stated that health and wellness of the citizens should be the top priority, and it has been made clear to him the Dog Park is important for that.
- Ireland: Commended the citizen involvement. Asked staff what the cost would be associated with reclassifying the space as a park. Staff said there are more maintenance costs for parks. She also said she understands the economic value derived from the dog Park.
- Nurmela: Directed staff to present options with a-la-carte type items and to add ideas for including a citizen volunteer group.
- Carmelia: Asked for clarification about the CAT process and timing. Specifically asked staff to bring the Guardian’s proposal as an option on June 3rd at the Study Session.
- Hott: Apologized to the citizens for “fumbling the Dog Park issue.” Understands that the community trust has been hurt. Hopes staff has learned how not to run a CAT. Stated the Guardian’s proposal should be an option on June 3rd at the Study Session. Feels zoning needs to be addressed by City Council.
- Mayor McNally: Her CAT report to City Council mentioned a rushed process, members not present and members not participating. PRL still pushed it through even though there was no consensus. She stated “poop” is a citywide issue and needs to be addressed. She believes there should be higher fines. She also stated off-leash dogs should not be the fall guy for a citywide issue.
City Council Schedule/Timeline
- June 3: City Council Study Session: Recommendations from PRL/CAT (and Guardians’ Proposal) will be presented to City Council during the Study Session.
- June 10: City Council meeting - Public Comments
- Mid-June: Recommendations from the Study Session will go out to the public for comment.
- June 24: City Council is scheduled to vote on the “updated recommendations/plan
Next Steps
We have drafted a Guardians' Research and Recommendations (GRR) document highlighting how the off-leash access can be preserved. The final draft of the document - which includes a year-over-year strategic plan - will be delivered to City Council, PRL, and the general public before the June 3rd Study Session.
Tell everyone you know to get involved in protecting this crown jewel of Westminster!