Cochrane off-leash park plans go to the dogs

After funding was approved and residents of Cochrane consulted, Town Council has decided to put a new off-leash dog park on hold. It was a surprising turn of events.

The park was touted for the north side of Quigley Drive between W Aarsby Road and Highway 22. The vote by council was apparently unanimous.

It's not that there won't be a new dog park in Cochrane. The final location for an official off-leash park is still to be determined. Town council has stated that administration needs to revisit the plans and come up at another area, perhaps on the south side of Quigley Drive along the pipeline corridor.

When public consultation was held earlier in March, approximately 60 Cochrane residents came to provide feedback. Some were opposed, some were in favour, and feedback continues to come into Town Hall by email and by phone. With so many people continuing to express opinions, Cochrane's mayor and council members thought pegging the park for the north side of Quigley may not be the best option.

Mayor Ivan Brooker spoke in person to residents on March 13 and noted the concerns that Cochrane residents had in regards to the parking area and some of the traffic within the parking lot. If that parking area filled up, people would start parking on the streets and congestion and pedestrian safety would then become an issue. The town had hoped to mitigate any parking concerns with additional parking made available by the Bow Valley Baptist church that agreed to share parking with the public Monday through Saturday.

The area to the south of Quigley was an option at one time but was dismissed because of the exact same reasons. However, the mayor feels the spot deserves more consideration and then council will see which spot will generate the least parking concerns. The lesser of the two evils, Brooker remarked.

Part of the consultation process for the next phase of the off-leash issue will be to talk to the businesses on the south side of Quigley, such as Dairy Queen, Tim Hortons and the Ramada Hotel. It could well be that an off-leash park next door to these establishments would be another reason for both residents and tourists to stay as their pets can be let loose.

Administration is going back to the drawing board and the Dog Park Capital Project will be brought back for discussion and approval at the end of June 2017.

There are shared off-leash areas in Cochrane that are about six hectares each. One is along the Bow River at the south end of River Avenue to the bridge opposite Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre where there is ample parking. The other is west of Highway 22 off Griffin Road under the bridge that spans the Bow River. There's a walk to get to the off-leash area which is shared with pedestrians and cyclists and dogs have to be leash led to this area. Because these pathways are shared owners must have full control of their animals at all times.

The proposed dog park is a dedicated park and the town's first official off-leash dog park. It came up for consideration in 2012 when the town adopted its Open Space Master Plan. Construction was slated for 2017. Those people brought into the discussion when the north side of Quigley was first proposed were land owners and Cochrane home owners immediately adjacent the area. The initial feedback was very positive.

Some of the construction planned for the area would be the installation of a chain link fence and tree planting. With additional vegetation, home owners adjacent to the park would have more privacy in the long run. When the park was first approved, council had set aside $300,000 for the first phase of the off-leash facility with a completion deadline of September 2017.