Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2023 03 08

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes February 8, 2023 Page 4 of 7 8. Board Updates Dogs Tiger Team: Susan introduced Patricia, her Dogs Tiger Team counterpart from PPLAB. Susan and Patricia worked together to visit several sites where future dog parks could possibly be located. They prioritized each location and considered advantages and pitfalls of each. The site they ranked the highest was the Cottonwood Park/Church site. Their #2 site, was the catchment bowl below the Recreation/Senior Center, which is currently used by cyclocross cyclists. Their #3 site was a weedy piece of land at the sports complex between the community gardens and the ball fields. Ember said that land is jointly owned by Boulder County, Lafayette, and Louisville, so acquisition of that parcel for a dog park is unlikely to be approved. Their #4 site is on the land north of the new 7-11 on 96T". Their #5 site is the sliver of land on the Lafayette border east of Harney Lastoka. Susan added that since this land was on the Lafayette border, this project would be best as a joint project with the City of Lafayette. Their #6 site was the former Xcel storage site on Dillon. They ranked this parcel last, as its soil is potentially contaminated by Xcel. Susan said that she and Patricia presented this memo also to PPLAB at their February meeting. At that time PPLAB members suggested land west of McCaslin and Via Appia as a potential site, and expressed concern that Cottonwood Park was too close to houses for a dog park. Patricia added that PPLAB would like to hear the Recreation Advisory Board's proposal for the Cottonwood Park Master Plan before they made a recommendation about a potential dog park there. Helen suggested re -wording the introduction to the memo, being careful to make the distinction that Community Park has a "dog park" and that Davidson Mesa has a Dog Off -leash Area (DOLA), not a dog park, thus implying that residents should not anticipate further amenities being developed on land that is legally zoned as open space. Charles asked if there was a plan for the current dog sites. Ember said the impetus for this work has never been to close the Davidson Mesa DOLA, since it is well -loved, but to take the strain off the heavily used and impacted location by providing alternatives. Laura said that she was grateful that Susan and Patricia were careful to consider locations that would best serve Louisville residents vs. residents from other communities. Specifically, she thought that making a dog park the land east of Harney Lastoka contingent on a partnership with Lafayette was a good approach. Laura wondered if there could be issues about contaminating run-off and drainage to the nearby ditch by putting a dog park in the Rec Center catchment bowl, though she liked the location for other reasons. Jessamine echoed her concerns about runoff in the bowl. Charles and David pointed out the bowl's importance to cyclocross riders, and recommended including the area to the west, near the Police Department as a potential location that cyclocross riders might be more willing to discuss.