A wheelchair-bound resident hopes the asphalt path at 3 Mile Bend dog park can be extended to the Red Deer River, where many dog owners take their dogs to swim.
Brenda Schultz said access to the river with her dogs is one of the things she lost after she was paralyzed in 2011.
"Right now, there is a barrier. Not everyone is able to go there, and we're in a time when that's not okay anymore," Schultz said.
Anyone else who has difficulty walking, or with a child in a stroller, are blocked by the gravel and rocks on the popular path that people have forged over the years through the bush to the river, she added.
"There's got to be more people out there that would love this too."
She said the ponds in the 3 Mile Bend area are usually contaminated with blue-green algae, making them unsafe for dogs. But the river provides clean, flowing fresh water.
"Once all the ice is gone, until it starts to snow, dogs are just loving the water there."
But she said when friends have joined her at the park and offered to take her two large dogs to the river, her dogs don't want to leave her side.
"I just always feel bad for them. Even though they always just want to be with me, they still want to have fun. It's just tough."
Schultz said she has approached the city a few times over the years to pave the path, most recently about five months ago. This month, she found out that the project will be considered in the parks department's 2026 budget forecast deliberations.
She called it a "hopeful sign" but has requested more details.
John Eastwood, parks department superintendent, said the department will consider the request as it determines which projects will be presented to city council for funding for 2026.
Final project approvals are up to city council and depend on city finances.
"We empathize with what the ask is, and we'll do our due diligence in evaluating it," Eastwood said.
"It's on our radar. We will look at the site as a whole this spring and summer and formulate a plan on what we can do in the area to make that access available."
But Eastwood said as much as some people would want river access, there could be opposition. There have been accidents involving dogs falling through ice on the river and city has had requests to put up fencing as a barrier.
"There are both sides. That's what we really want to evaluate from a planning perspective. What is the best plan to go forward."