NIPAWIN — A public meeting is being held after residents expressed concerns about the location of a proposed off-leash dog park.
The currently approved location is at the Lions Park on Sixth Street West and Seventh Avenue West. The public meeting is scheduled on March 26 at 7 p.m. in the Evergreen Centre's Twin Lakes Room.
At the Nipawin council meeting on March 11, a letter was received from Nipawin resident Doreen Bleich, who is opposed to the location. At the Feb. 26 meeting, she lead a delegation to council stating their opposition to having the dog park in a residential area. In the letter, Bleich said that she understood from conversations with the town that if a petition with more than 240 signatures was gathered, there would be a public meeting held. She added she had presented more than 240 signatures.
Council voted to hold a public meeting to discuss the dog park.
Chelsea Corrigan, general manager of leisure services said the Town of Nipawin had research completed. It found there are many dog parks located close to residential areas in other municipalities and the noise was not a concern.
“We do want our neighborhoods to be enjoyable by all residents and feel this enhances the area and the park.”
Corrigan said Nipawin council and administration feel this is the best use for the space. The town looked into other locations and this location was identified as the best location. She added other areas for future development may not be accessible to users of the park or not owned by the town.
