Opposing sides face off ahead of Westminster Hills Off Leash Dog Park vote for future of off-leash space northwest of Denver
Monday constitutes a final face-off of sorts over the fate of the Westminster Hills Off Leash Dog Park. For months, advocates for keeping the park the same size, over 450 acres of open space where dogs are allowed off-leash, have been gathering signatures and lobbying Westminster City Council.
In the last 30 days another group, looking to reduce its size in the name of ecological conservation, has also gained momentum ahead of the meeting. But the debate between the Westy Dog Park Guardians and the Parks, Recreation and Library division of Westminster has gotten contentious.
"If they can't trust what the staff is telling them then they shouldn't consider what the staff is telling them," said Dale Pugh, a former city attorney and member of the Guardians.
The group alleges that PRL officials directed an independent study of the land to add language that confirmed the PRL's recommendations for a size reduction of the park.
In an email given to CBS Colorado that was obtained via an open records request, City of Westminster Open Space Superintendent Joe Reale emailed Bill Mangle of ERO Resources with comments regarding the report.
Within the email, Reale tells Mangle "I will be proposing a change in land use on the property, with the western half being designated as conservation protection, no dogs, strict on trail use, the bulk of the eastern half being dogs on leash, perhaps some trail user segregation and returning the off-leash area to the original 30ish acres centered around the North trailhead."
Reale went on to say "Anything we can add to the recommendations and report to help support this case is of value."
In a statement to CBS Colorado, city spokesman Andy Le said, "Local, state, and federal agencies regularly contract third parties to develop studies and reports and as part of that process, there is a review portion where subject matter experts can ask questions and seek additional clarity. It's standard operating procedure."
But the Guardians argue that what appears to be directives are not an example of seeking additional clarity on certain points.
"I used to be a former member of a city attorney's office and that's not how it's done," Pugh said. "There's nothing independent about a report where you tell them what to write."
As the battle comes to a head between the Guardians and the PRL, a separate battle is breaking out between the City Council itself and a group calling themselves the Westminster Hills Open Space advocates.
"Westminster surveyed the city and 90% of residents said they value their open space because it protects and preserves their land and wildlife," said Melissa Koss, a member of the group.
Initially, Koss and Guardians member Andrew Guthrie were a part of the Community Advisory Team that was created by the city to find a compromise on the use of Westminster Hills. The group didn't reach a consensus on use as the discussion continued to evolve. In the time since, the Advocates say that they mobilized late due to disillusionment with city council over the issue and the belief that the science and data provided by the PRL would be listened to.
"We're not asking dogs to vacate the land," said Koss. "What we're asking is that city council limit the off-leash usage but reduce the off-leash usage and by doing that limit the impact on the land."
Discussions over parking in residential areas with dogs off-leash in places they shouldn't be, along with the previously stated environmental impacts, were among the biggest points of contention for the Advocates. But the biggest, Koss says, is that the city council is voted in to speak for the will of the residents and this isn't being reflected.
"If this was Boulder, this would go to a ballot," she said.
While the Guardians, with a petition with over 10,000 signatures, argue that the mobilization of a counter petition is rooted in parking issues as opposed to environmental conservation. Trust between the Guardians and the city staff, specifically the PRL, has reached such a low point that the City Council can only be relied on to do what they see is the right thing, they say.
"We want city council to be involved if there's any change in the future," said Cyndi Staudt.
Westminster City Council will be conducting a first reading of an ordinance that would rezone the area specifically for off-leash dog use while providing an easement of 30 acres near a particular plot of land associated with the Sisters of the New Covenant.
