The village council has again discussed the bid to open a dog park in the village, as the proposal becomes more detailed.
Burns Lake residents Lynn Synotte and Tracey Payne spoke to the council about the proposal on Feb. 12, and said the cost for the chain link fence around the park would come to $10,000.
The fence enclosure on the site of the Dick Schritt Ball Park would be 70 yards by 70 yards, Synotte said.
Her presentation to the council comes two weeks after she first proposed the idea, which has proven popular with the public. The committee behind the proposal is made up of Synotte, Payne and Nicole Gerow and they aim to form a partnership with the Lakes Animal Friendship Society (LAFS) for the project.
READ MORE: Council mulls bid to open dog park in Burns Lake
Synotte said she has been overwhelmed by the response from people in Burns Lake.
“Christina from the Lakes Animal Friendship society said she was just on the The Lakes District News Facebook page [with the article on the dog park] and there 34 comments and seven shares and they’re all positive. Who would know it would be this popular!” she joked.
The $10,000 and costs of maintaining the park could be procured through fundraising, Synotte said.
“Tracey has been very involved with the community gardens. I’ve been involved with fundraising with Rotary projects, the skateboard park, the tennis court, cemetery renos, and Rod Reid. It’s not to brag, it’s just to reassure you that we have the capacity.”
The other sizable cost of the plan would be the rent that would have to paid to CN, which owns the ball park land.
The minimum rental fee is $2,500, Synotte said.
“If council saw fit to pay the $2,500 a year that wouldn’t hurt our feelings at all,” she said with a laugh, though Synotte also offered to fund raise that cost.
CN has for several years been leasing the land to the Burns Lake Rotary Club for $2,500 a year. Last year the Rotary Club ended that agreement.
The railway company is willing to negotiate the terms to establish the dog park and if the plan goes ahead the village would take over the lease and use it as a green space and would have to maintain it throughout the year.
After the village made a new lease agreement with CN, it would then make an operating agreement with the Animal Friendship Society which would run the dog park.
For Synotte the next step is to see if the village agrees to hold the lease and cover the liability insurance, which she said won’t increase if the dog park becomes reality.
“We’ll start gathering information on park design, costs and operation plans. But our action hinges on your approval,” she said.
Her committee also thinks it would be a good idea to open a kiosk at the park where Burns Lake retailers could post information that would draw visitors downtown.
A report on the proposal’s costs and logistics will be considered by the council, Worthing told Lakes District News.
Blair McBride
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