Issaquah wants feedback on potential dog park location

Issaquah is looking for citizen feedback on where they would like a new dog park in the city.

The city of Issaquah is looking for citizen feedback on where they would like an all-new dog park sited in the city.

On Nov. 28, the city of Issaquah is holding a public meeting and workshop to collect comments and present survey data on the ongoing effort to find a location for a dog park. The meeting marks the beginning of Phase 2 of the dog park project, which began in 2015.

Held at the Eagle room in city hall, the meeting will consist of a staff presentation of survey feedback and will explore the dog park options the city is looking into. Attendees of the meeting will have the opportunity to identify their preferred locations and comment on how dog park amenities could be implemented at the possible locations.

Phase 2 of the project will continue after the meeting, as the city hopes to form a “Friends” group to work with in the development and stewardship of the future park.

Work toward an off-leash dog park began in 2015 with a study of other popular dog parks in the area. The city began taking feedback form the community to eight possible sites. During Phase 1, the city collected comments from a public meeting of 50 people on Aug. 29 and an online survey that received almost 400 responses from Aug. 31 through Sept. 28.

Jennifer Fink, Park Planner and Project Administrator, said Tibbetts Valley Park received clear and strong support. Other sites recieved many positive comments, but were more mixed.

Through continued engagement with citizens, the city plans to have a final recommendation of the site location in early 2019. According to the city’s web page on the dog park project, site design will begin once a location is chosen and the parks department will work with the Development Services Department on permitting, with a goal of having the park completed within the year.

More information, including the feedback received from public meetings and surveys conducted in 2018 is available on the city’s website at www.issaquahwa.gov/dogpark.