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Glass, metal posing hazards at Banff off-leash dog park

The Town of Banff is looking for a long-term solution at the dog park in the industrial compound, where hazardous objects such as glass and metal are being dug up by dogs.

BANFF – Pet owners will be like a dog with two tails if the Town of Banff fixes safety hazards at the off-leash dog park.

Town staff inspect the industrial compound site daily for signs of sharp or hazardous objects that keep surfacing, but the temporary closure of the site is under consideration to determine if more in-depth remediation is warranted.

Councillor Chip Olver raised concerns about the safety hazards at the dog park, which was relocated to its existing site to make way for the new transit garage breaking ground last April.

“Foreign objects are coming up through the soil like glass and pieces of metal,” said Coun. Olver during council’s review of municipal services on Monday (Jan. 18).

“I am wondering if we have enough money in this area for us to address those concerns, which we expect to see return after the ground unfreezes and the snow disappears.”

Administrative officials say staff with the municipal parks department conduct daily inspections of the dog park and remove any potential hazards, adding signs have been put up warning dog owners of the risks.

Town Manager Kelly Gibson said there could be a temporary closure of the dog park in the spring, or potentially even earlier, if hazardous items continue to be found.

“We will assess the situation … our hope was that we could keep the dog park open since there has been a considerable amount of snow, freezing ground,” he said.

“But if we find enough material, again, that is of concern, we may have to close the dog park earlier than that, so it could be an extended closure until the ground thaws.”

The new location of the dog park, approved by Parks Canada, contained an informal refuse pit in the past, in a single location on the site.

Municipal officials say the refuse pit area was completely remediated, and testing for soil contaminants was completed prior to the opening of the dog park.

They say the area also was home to Parks Canada buildings and a storage area in past decades, including cabins from the 1970s and earlier, verified by archival air photos and an archeological investigation completed last spring.

“We do not know the precise activities conducted at this site, but we do know that this was never used as a dump site,” said Jason Darrah, the Town of Banff’s communications director in an email.

“Native soils remain intact across the site, and all signs indicate that the material that we encounter as the site is packed down by human and dog use was dropped there as litter over the decades.”

As for budget, administration indicated a contractor may need to be brought in to deal with the situation.

“We have done a number of walk-throughs, raked up, picked glass, but it seems to keep popping up and I think as the dogs dig or things occur in the park, it seems to keep getting churned up,” Gibson said.

“It’s not about a one-time fix. It would have to be ongoing and we are looking at what those possible solutions could be, but it will likely be more than just having staff do a thorough pickup because that has been done in the past.”

Once an assessment has been completed and options identified, Gibson said a report, including any budget implications, would be brought to council for consideration.

“There might be a limit, at which point it doesn’t make sense to fund the repair work and we look to the other dog park at that time,” he said. “It’s premature to talk about that right now.”

Coun. Olver, however, expressed concern that there may be a period of time that Banff could be without an off-leash dog park.

“It just seems we do have a new one that we’re building in a new location at the rec grounds, but the chances are this one is going to have to close for a bit and that one (rec grounds) won’t be ready to go at that time,” she said.

Gibson replied: “That’s correct.”

The design for a second dog park in town, to be located at the recreation grounds, is currently being finalized. The dog park will be publicly tendered with the sports field, ball diamond and picnic area projects in spring.

The project was delayed in 2020 due to design changes for the fence to support wildlife travel in the area and slight location adjustments because of surrounding riparian zones.

The fence redesign resulted from Parks Canada’s confirmation to the Town of Banff that the entire recreation grounds should not be fenced, rather specific elements of the redevelopment.

In addition, administration is working to finalize a soil management plan for contaminated soils in partnership with Parks Canada, which will be incorporated into all future recreation grounds’ tender packages.

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