Cedar Park City Council approved a resolution Thursday night to allocate $265,000 for the design and construction of the city’s second dog park. Cedar Park’s Community Development Corp. Fund, or 4B Board, would fund the project.
Cedar Park is digging through ideas for a dog park in Brushy Creek Lake Park.[/caption]The city currently has one dog park – Cedar Park Bark Park—in Veterans Memorial Park off of New Hope Drive. The city’s 2015 Parks and Open Space Master plan identified the need for a second dog park on the east side of the city, and the 4B board contracted with engineering and architecture consulting firm Halff Associates to conduct a feasibility study, Project Manager Kimberly Reese said.
The firm explored potential locations and dog park amenities and recommended Dog Park No. 2 be located in Brushy Creek Lake Park.
Halff Associates also identified several other locations, such as Silverado Springs Park North or South, Champion Park, Forest Parks Park and Lakeline Village PUD Park, which was the cause of discussion among council members.
Council Member Heather Jefts said she had environmental concerns about the Brushy Creek Lake Park location because of dog waste runoff. She said the attendees of Brushy Creek Lake Park have more amenities than other areas on the east side of the city. She suggested having the dog park be in one of the other locations, such as the future Lakeline Park.
“I think that would be much better option for our tax dollars to have something for underserved communities with higher density than an area that already has a high amount of good public parkland and trails, and especially with the environmental impact,” she said.
Brandon Hay, a project manager with Halff Associates, said the dog park would adhere to the regulations of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He also said the firm planned to add vegetation strips and close off certain areas of certain portions of the dog park for periods of time to allow the area to rest and re-vegetate.
Council members decided to approve the resolution for the second dog park in the Brushy Creek Lake Park location.
