Kingston View Drive Dog Park will be relocating to make room for the AFL High Performance Centre.
A group of regular visitors to this dog park are hoping for more definitive answers three months after the relocation was announced at a Kingborough Council meeting.
“The park has brought not just joy for our dogs but a friendship that is strong, and we are very frustrated and sad about what is happening,” said Danielle Musgrove, who is a regular visitor to the dog park with her dog, Ellie.
One of Ms Musgrove’s biggest concerns is that an alternative location will not be found before the existing dog park is rendered unavailable, leaving the dogs, and the friends she has formed there, without a dog park.
Ms Musgrove wants a specific timeline to know how much time they have left at this dog park.
Kingborough Council CEO Dave Stewart said construction works will not occur before August this year.
“The development of a new oval within the Kingborough sporting precinct will require the relocation of the current off-lead dog exercise areas on Kingston View Drive,” Mr Stewart said.
“Council is currently investigating the environmental, social and economic impacts of any potential sites before developing a specific proposal to present to the community.”
Kingborough Council is working with the Kingborough Dog Walking Association (KDWA) to identify alternative sites.
Ms Musgrove and some of her friends at Kingston View Drive Dog Park shared their hopes and concerns for the relocation.
They have scoped out existing dog parks and dog-friendly areas elsewhere in Kingborough to explore their options.
Ann Osborne said Kingston Beach is not a viable option for her older dog Twister, who finds walking on sand difficult.
Suncoast Dog Park in Blackmans Bay has also been ruled out as it is set on a sloping hill.
The Dru Point Dog Exercise Area received Ms Osborne’s approval and is a location she already frequently brings Twister to, but she and others in the friend group expressed a strong preference to have a dog park remain in Kingston.
The friends have plenty of ideas of what the new dog park should include and even have some suggestions of where it could go.
They would like to be included in the consultation process between Kingborough Council and the KDWA.
Kingborough Council CEO Dave Stewart said that under the Dog Control Act 2000, Council is required to undertake public consultation on any newly proposed off-lead dog exercise areas.
“Council is committed to investigating the impacts thoroughly and consulting with key stakeholders before we go out to the broader community for feedback on the proposed new location,” Mr Stewart said.
Ms Musgrove raised a concern that the KDWA may not understand the specific requirements of the community who has bonded together at the dog park, given KDWA is a separate entity.
The Kingborough Chronicle reached out to KDWA for comment.
