Red Deer city council could take the first leap towards turning Red Deer’s old landfill into a second off-leash dog park on Monday.
Council will be asked to take a preliminary vote on rezoning the old landfill on Delburne Road to a parks and recreation district, after reviewing a development plan for the Oxbows Off-Leash Dog Park.
The park will be so named because of oxbows on the nearby Piper Creek, and also because oxbows are caused by the transformation of one land use to another — which is what is being proposed for the old landfill site.
If the rezoning passes first reading on Monday, the final vote will be taken on Oct. 19. If the park project is approved by the Municipal Planning Commission, a development permit could be issued by mid-November.
Site grading and fencing could begin this fall, and construction should be finished by next spring and summer.
The park development plan was shown to the public during two August sessions at the city’s existing off-leash park, Three Mile Bend. The plan incorporates winding circular paths, an agility park, grassland, trees and benches, a sheltered quiet area for more timid dogs and an interesting “play” terrain for more active dogs, and a refillable fountain-like water station.
Most of the people who viewed the plan liked it — 68 per cent were “very satisfied,” 27 per cent, “somewhat satisfied,” and five per cent were “satisfied.”
City council will also be considering a new dog bylaw on Monday, as well as a new policy for an aggressive dog designation.
City staff have been researching a stronger dog bylaw since 2002, following a series of high-profile dog attacks. A draft bylaw went before council in June.
Among the other items on the agenda:
• Adopting the Riverside Meadows redevelopment plan.
• Designating the Red Deer Cenotaph on Ross Street a municipal historic resource.
• Considering the proposed 2009 offsite levy rates.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com