Casper City Council Eyes East Side Dog Park

Casper City Council tentatively approved the development of a dog park in the city's east side during a work session Tuesday.

The proposed dog park would be south of the Rocky Mountain Oncology building in the 6500 block of East Second Street, said Tim Cortez, the city's parks and recreation division head.

The creation of dog parks was partially a result of the revised animal care and control ordinance passed by the city council a year ago.

The ordinance primarily targeted "reckless animal owners" and asserted the importance of dogs being on a leash unless they were in a designated leash-free park, Mayor Charlie Powell said then.

Since then, the council has been looking for places for dog parks.

The east side property was an easy choice.

The city acquired the property, about eight acres, as part of the planned urban development of the McMurry Business Park, Cortez said.

The acquisition also included $100,000 for the development of the property, Cortez added.

The dog park would be about one acre and use part of an existing pond, he said.

"It became a blank canvas when we started talking about dog parks,"
Cortez said.

Cortez presented two possible configurations for the park, one at 1.28 acres and the other at 1.05 acres.

Part of the discussion centered on how much the fencing would cost, and council agreed with the smaller size being the better choice.

However, the council did not approve another $20,000 for an asphalt walkway into the park.

The vote, Cortez said, approved fencing and the electrical service for pumps for three water features in the pond that will circulate the water and prevent algae and bacteria buildup.

The development of the dog park would leave about seven acres that could be developed for playgrounds or other public uses, he said.