Town Explores Dog Park Options

The quest for a Leesburg dog park has not ended. Although town council members voted several weeks ago to no longer pursue a 28.8-acre site off Old Waterford Road for the facility, town staff has been exploring the feasibility of other locations both in and out of the town.

Bill Ference, acting co-director of parks and recreation, presented a list of 20 sites to council members at their work session last night and said that the town was specifically evaluating eight as serious possibilities. Among these include three locations at Ida Lee Park, an area at Robinson Park on Plaza Street, a site adjacent to Freedom Park, which is owned by the Peterson Companies, and a site at Oatlands Plantation south of town.

"None of these is slam dunk site," Ference said. "But every one has a possibility."

Ference vowed to return in two weeks with a recommendation on how to proceed, including looking at an interim site at one of the parcels which would only cost an additional $7,000 to implement above the $18,000 still left in the Capital Improvements Program for a dog park.

Council members sounded optimism about the project's progress and Councilman Fernando "Marty" Martinez said he really liked the idea of an interim site at Robinson Park.

"I think Robinson is a good interim solution that has the parking we need and gives the friends group [that has formed to help monitor and raise funds for a dog park] the opportunity to raise money," for a permanent site, Martinez said.

Councilman Ken Reid said he wanted the dog park to stay in the town and expressed concern about the possibility of pursuing a site at Oatlands Plantation, which even Ference said would require a partnership with the county to implement.

Ference said he will appear at council's work session on Monday, April 21 to present his recommendations in advance of the budget public hearing set to occur at council's regularly scheduled meeting the following night.