Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
Roughly ten people got together Monday evening for the first committee meeting on a proposed dog park in Hancock. The group met at the Four Seasons Chalet at the Fairgrounds to tour a one-acre parcel of property that may be the park’s future location. A private landowner has proposed an easement to allow the city to use it, but no agreement has been officially signed.
At the meeting were Hancock officials, including Mary Babcock and Debbie Mann. John Diebel from the Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club was also present. It provided a nice mix of newcomers to the political process with experienced grant writers and rules makers, says Mann.
An approximately 40-minute discussion covered a lot of ground, including the possibility of applying for Pet Safe’s Bark For Your Park award. Mann says some funding proposals were a surprise. The group unanimously suggested that an annual fee, or a day charge, should be required to utilize the space.
The hope is to have the park operational by the end of summer. Those gathered broke up into groups focusing on amenities, rules and signage, and the park’s surface. Preliminary plans are to include a full enclosure, fenced on all sides, with multiple entrances and a vehicle gate. There will be a divided area for large breeds and small breeds, and the high grass on the lot now will be trimmed back and potentially replaced with a new surface. Waste stations and outdoor furniture for humans, like benches and a picnic table were also talked about.
The property is bordered on one side by a playground and ballfield, on one side by a gravel pit, and ski trails on two sides. There is no alternative site should easement negotiations fall through.
