Red Deer County works with Springbrook Community Association for potential dog park

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The SCA requested a dog park between 11 and 18 hectares and proposed three different sites for the potential park; however, they were all located on privately owned land, zoned for future residential and agricultural lands.

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Administration compared dog park sizes and costs in other communities in the area:

Central Alberta municipalities with dog parks (Red Deer County September 19 meeting agenda p. 34)

The County states on their website that the population of Springbrook is 1,532 people.

Administration noted that as the County does not have a facility maintenance department, they would rely on their contractors for maintenance work like weekly garbage pickup, weed spraying and annual clean-ups, among other tasks.

County policies state that rural facilities are eligible to receive between $1,000 and $100,000 in funding for capital projects involving maintenance and upkeep. They also state that all community group project requests presented to council require fundraising and community group support for construction and operation.

The County said while there are currently no available County-owned lands for the size of park the SCA requested, they could consider options for a smaller fenced dog park area which would require repurposing existing recreational lands in three potential locations:

• Municipal Reserve: currently used for the skateboard park, ball diamonds, soccer area, and 10 acres leased to the Harvard Historical Aviation Society for their future museum.
• County Trail and Park System: the area near the trail system has potential for a parking area and its use for a dog park would require environmental evaluations and amendments to Area Structure Plans (ARP)
• Springbrook South Lands: the areas are currently being advertised for future private commercial and industrial development and if selected for a dog park, changes in marketing materials and ARPs would need to be made.
  Red Deer County Owned Lands in Springbrook; public service lands are in light and dark green. (Red Deer County September 19 meeting agenda p. 41)

They say a two-acre dog park area on existing County-owned lands could cost around $64,300 in capital investment and $4,150 annually operationally, not including other costs like municipal staff hours to manage the facility, lighting, and a parking area.

Administration also found that other communities require dog licensing for use of the parks. The County currently does not have a related policy and would need to amend their Animal Control Bylaw if so.