Setting Boundaries

Well, it's been a busy week with a bunch of new developments in the dog park.

Hedy and I met with the park technician and the park foreman this week. We all walked the pathways and went through the off-leash area itself, with a view to making sure that signage was doing what it' supposed to. It was also useful for the park crew to hear from the dog owner perspective, since they've been dealing with complaints from non-dog park users up 'til now.

As a result of this tour, some signs will be repositioned to be more obvious to people entering the off-leash area, and other signs will be added.

There's already a new sign on the labyrinth side, which now designates the City's decision on where the western boundary of the off-leash area should be. It's farther back into the field than I think most of us would like, but the park guys were adamant that the boundary has to be far enough away from the labryrinth to provide for a buffer zone between labyrinth users and dogs.

However, the good news is that the City has agreed to designate the southern swath of bush as off-leash also. The new map of the boundaries is available online at: http://www.winnipeg.ca/publicworks/Parks/FieldsForFido_files/Kingspark-dog-park.jpg

The KP Dog Association also had a great response from the City to the idea of posting more prominent signage in the off-leash area, which should make dog owners *and* visitors more comfortable. The large signs will either be in the shape of a bone or will feature a bone logo. The KPDA is funding 50% of the cost of making & installing the signs, and donations will be very gratefully accepted at the dog party on June 21. It's possible that these donations can qualify for a tax receipt....the City is checking into that.

Finally, I have to say it's been a pleasure working with Drew Williams and his team at the park. They've been very receptive to our ideas and have been more than happy to work with us to make the park experience better for everyone. They's also happy to work with us on larger long-term projects, like a covered bulletin board with a map of the park. I'm sure other improvements would also be seriously considered.

So here's the question of the day: What would be on your wish list for the King's Park off-leash area? There's already been a suggestion for fencing. I know a number of dog owners whose pooches are runners, and are currently unable to let them go free in the park, and a fenced in run would be ideal for them. Do you agree? Are there other projects that you think we could do in the future?