Fenced Dog Park at Ponds Corridor: Community Consultation

Today, the Stickleback Dog Park, located at 2276 Church Road on the Stickleback Urban Trail, opened and quickly welcomed its first visitors!
A dog park in Sooke has been a long-talked-about amenity and desired by many in the community, so to have the soft opening here is an exciting community milestone. "As soon as I unlocked the gate, we had people and pets smiling, prancing and quickly community members meeting for the first time," shares Jessica Boquist, Parks and Environmental Services Coordinator. "This warms my heart to see the joy visitors are experiencing already."

Current amenities of the fenced dog park include a water standpipe (a pet and person fountain will be installed next week), surfacing, benches, a dog bag dispenser and a garbage receptacle. A gazebo will be installed this summer, with a grand opening celebration to take place at that time.

The park is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk. Vehicle parking is available on Church Road with recent roadside improvements made to support access to the park.

After experiencing supply chain delays, construction of the Stickleback Dog Park will begin on Tuesday, December 14th. Fencing will be installed this week. CRD Water has connected the water-line for the pet and person water foundation that will be installed in the new year. Additional amenities also set for installation in the new year include surfacing, gazebo, signage, and the garbage bin and dog bag dispenser.

It is anticipated an opening event for the park will take place in the late winter/early spring. Please stay tuned!

At the July 19, 2021 Committee of the Whole meeting the Parks & Environmental Services Coordinator provided an overview of the written staff report, outlining a plan and budget options for a fenced dog park in Pond Park Corridor. Based on community feedback, staff outlined park features:

• a fenced 90m x 25m dog park;
• a water fountain;
• four benches;
• a gazebo;
• waste receptacles;
• dog bag dispensers and;
• natural agility features such as boulders and logs.

Council discussion includes:

• While other District's are trialling dog parks using temporary locations, the cost of doing so in Sooke is prohibitive. Even a temporary park would require infrastructure modifications, which are costly.
• Noise issues will be addressed with signage and Bylaw Officer attendance.
• There are funds available now to execute the project as presented.
• The park's location will be noted on District maps.
• Some residents near the proposed location are concerned that the park will invite instances of public drunkenness.
• If the gazebo and fountain were omitted from the plan, a savings of $20,000 would be realized.
• Members of the public have been asking for a fenced dog park since 2012.

Motions carried:

• THAT the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council authorize staff to proceed with the construction of a fenced dog park at 2276 Church Road.
• THAT the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council allocate up to an additional $45,000.00 to the dog park budget from Council contingency.
• THAT the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council allocate up to an additional $45,000.00 to the dog park budget from Council contingency.

At the July 26, 2021 Regular Council Meeting, Council continued discussion of the dog park, noting:

• Assurance that all locations have been evaluated, consultation has been ongoing for several years and the best interest of the community has been considered.
• It is anticipated that users will continue to self-regulate, in the management of their dogs within the park.
• Parking issues are a concern, staff will find opportunities to enhance and educate park users on park access.
• Recognition that neighbours are concerned with the proximity of the location to homes and the potential for increased users.
• Dog owners in the community have been advocating for a secure location for dogs to socialize and enjoy themselves.

Motion carried:

THAT Council authorize staff to proceed with the construction of a fenced dog park at 2276 Church Road

June 29, 2021 - The Parks and Trails Master Plan, adopted on October 13, 2020, identified Pond’s Park Corridor as a desirable off-leash dog park and suggested a $50,000 project budget (p. 73). Community engagement, specific to the identified site was undertaken by staff from May 4, 2021 to June 4, 2021. Notably, the engagement phase is subsequent to the community consultation undertaken to develop the parks and Trails Master Plan.

The goal of the fenced-dog park engagement was to inform neighbouring residents, and the community, of the selected location, prioritize site amenities, and to better understand concerns so that they could be mitigated during the park design phase.

Park neighbours were informed of the project by a direct mail letter and provided with a print survey and information pamphlet sent the week of April 26, 2021. Community notification was announced through a press release issued on May 4^th, and trail signage with accompanying information pamphlets along the corridor from John Phillips Memorial Park to Art Morris Ball Park.

Through all promotional materials, residents were directed to the online engagement platform at letstalk.sooke.ca/dogpark with print surveys also being made available for those without computer access.

The online engagement platform included project information, answers to anticipated questions, a project timeline, a survey, and a “ask a question” submission where questions could be received and responded to publicly.

Further, District staff engaged neighbours, trail users and dog parks on site during the consultation period with information pamphlets also provided through local pet-orientated businesses.

The data collected during the May 4 to June 4, 2021 engagement period is captured in this report and will be presented to Council at the July 19, 2021 Committee of the Whole meeting for discussion.

October 13, 2020 - Council approved the Parks & Trails Master Plan which identified Pond's Park Corridor and suggests a $50,000 budget towards the project (p. 73).

Considerable discussion on a fenced-dog park in Sooke is captured throughout the plan, including:

• Key Challenge: “Not enough dog off-leash areas” (p. 5)
• Focus Investment: “Dog-off leash areas” (p. 5)
• “Dog ownership is popular in Sooke. Sixty-two percent of survey respondents own dogs, which yielded significant input related to dogs in parks and trails. This is consistent with a CRD study that estimated around 36% of households own dogs, with an average of 1.3 dogs in each of these households. There are an estimated 2,500 dogs in Sooke.” (p. 10 – see figure 1)
• “The District is also lacking some amenities typical in most communities, such as dog off-leash areas” (p. 12)
• “The management of dogs is a particular challenge due to the lack of an on-leash bylaw and dog off-leash areas.” (p. 12)
• Shaping the future/ Key Trends: “Dog ownership is high in Sooke, and urban areas are being planned to recognize the social and physical benefits to people that come from embracing responsible uses by humans and their dogs. Communities are planning destination and neighbourhood-level dog off-leash areas and designating trails and water access points that welcome dogs.” (p. 14)
• Key direction: “Focus on providing more dog-off leash areas” (p. 45)
• “Sooke has estimated that residents own around 2,500 dogs. The District does not have an on-leash bylaw; however, dogs are required to be under ‘effective control’, which is a confusing and unenforceable requirement. There are no designated dog off-leash areas. Neighbouring communities require dogs to be on leash in most parks or have seasonal on-leash requirements. The CRD performs dog/animal enforcement in Sooke.” (p. 52)
• “Trends in dog management in communities recognize the social and physical benefits to people that come from embracing responsible uses by humans and their dogs. Communities are planning destination and neighbourhood-level dog off-leash areas and designating trails and water access points that welcome dogs.” (p. 52)
• Residents provided many pages of comments regarding dogs, the key input being the following:
  • There should be an on-leash bylaw to prevent dog issues throughout the District
  • There should be designated dog off-leash areas
  • Dog management is needed on Whiffin Spit in particular, as dogs are generally off-leash and they disturb birds
  • Need more bylaw control of dogs and consideration of dog waste management within solid waste management planning
  • Need designated off-leash and on-leash trails (p. 52)