Terrace council has instructed city staff to work with the Rotary Club of Terrace, and apply for grants which could result in the creation of two fully fenced off-leash dog parks within city limits.
On the Southside, staff will be liaising with the Rotary Club to develop a park on city property at 4819 Agar St., next to the Elks ball diamonds and Agar Park. The budget for that project would be just over $51,000 provided by the Rotary Club.
City staff are also applying for close to $37,000 from the Coastal Gaslink “Building Strong Fund” to establish another off-leash dog park at 3815 Sparks St., near the Christy Park fields and Parkside School.
McElhanney did pro bono work on the site plans, so the city has those plans and costing already in place.
“For many people [dogs] become part of their family and I think to have this opportunity is really cool, thank you to the Terrace McElhanney office for their pro bono site design on that project,” said Mayor Carol Leclerc at an Aug. 23 council meeting.
Currently, Ferry Island is home to the only sanctioned off-leash area in Terrace, but it is not fenced and the city said there have been concerns raised about the effect dogs have on the pond habitat on the island. According to a report presented to Terrace council, there are 2,300 licensed dogs in Terrace, and the total dog population in the city could be as high as 7,000. Even that figure is a conservative estimate, because pet ownership in general has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Letting dogs off-leash elsewhere in the city is prohibited by Animal Control Bylaw No. 2159-2019 which states that “No owner or possessor, of a dog shall allow the dog to run at large anywhere within city limits.”
According to Tyler Clarke, city programs supervisor, the city will be conducting outreach with neighbours of the proposed parks.
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