Dog park denied until further notice

Danielle Ryan

(7/19) The proposed dog park discussed back in May failed to pass at the July 5 Emmitsburg Town Council meeting. Official drawings were presented to the Council during the meeting depicting the two proposed locations as well as the rough design.

Site A was proposed to be located off of Cedar Avenue, behind the baseball field. This site would have two sections, one larger section and one smaller section for corresponding canine sizes/breeds. The total size would be 200 feet. by 100 feet. This location would have a dog fountain, which is a common feature in dog parks. During the May meeting, residents local to that particular area had mentioned their concern over potential noise issues, and the safety of the children in the neighborhood. The total cost of this location was estimated to be approximately $26,000. This price included the cost of fencing, stone dust, grading, benches, two dog fountains and some trees.

Site B was proposed to be located further down from Site A, on the Southwest corner of Southgate. The proposed plan had no dog fountain included because the water line did meet the distance of the location. An extension onto the already existent water line would have to be put in if the fountain were a feature that was intended to be included. This location would be further away from residents, but was a further walk from the parking lot, which posed some concern. The total cost of this project was estimated to be 1bout $19,000. This cost however did not include the additional price of installing a water line for the dog fountains.

Both proposed locations were brought to the Parks and Recreation Committee for discussion. Unfortunately, no decision or recommendation was brought forward from that meeting, as only two members were present, so quorum was not met. Council member, Jennifer Mellor played with the idea of a third location, behind the Emmitsburg Antique Mall. It would have been smaller, but would have been located away from residents. However, that idea was turned down as it would have been far too small.

After some additional discussion, Vice President Sweeny motioned to use Site B contingent upon grant funds to cover the additional cost of installing the water line to the location and the cost of extending the walking path from the parking lot to the dog park. The motion failed, 3 – 2. However, the Council agreed that they would wish to see the project come back again, with Community members present to voice their opinion and ask questions. The dog park was placed on the August agenda and all community members are welcome to attend the meeting.