Westminster city leaders discuss future of off-leash dog park in Denver metro area
While the debate has felt contentious between Westminster officials and advocates for keeping the over 400 acres of the off-leash dog park as is, city council members say that it is an example of local government working functionally. Discussions about changing the park have been ongoing for months, with the Westminster Parks and Recreation Department citing habitat degradation as a major reason for exploring other options.
Advocates have drawn a hard line in the sand, saying that the size of the park contributes to its safety and has cultivated many communities within its borders.
"We have had an extremely engaged audience and impassioned citizens let us know what their concerns are," Westminster City Councilwoman Claire Carmelia explained. She's worked on this issue nearly every day since she stepped into office last year.
"This experience has been great because it's formulated how we can have large conversations in this community in the future," she continued.
CBS Colorado spoke to Parks and Recreation Director Tomas Herrera-Mishler who said that the type of grassland, short grass prairie, is in dire need of ecological support. According to Herrera-Mishler, it's an even more imperiled ecosystem than the Amazon and the area of Westminster Hills is a sanctuary that needs to be protected. The amount of foot traffic in the areas and the current trail system, he argued, is what is pushing the discussions about change now.
"There's been a lot of invasive plants have taken over," Herrera-Mishler explained. "They love the growing conditions of the dog park. Disturbing soil and the extra fertilizer from urine and feces."
As the discussions have heated up between residents and government, Herrera-Mishler mentioned that the responses from the public and Westminster's citizen advisory board have been constructed.
"I do think we need to give each other some grace and allow the process to take place so we can get to the best outcome possible," Herrera-Mishler said.
Rifts have formed between members of one major park advocacy group, the Westy Dog Park Guardians, and the city over proposed trail systems and, initially, the size of the park itself. While the parks department suggested four different options, ranging from keeping the park at its full size to cutting it all the way down to a neighborhood dog park. In what some felt was a surprising move, the city council tasked Parks and Recreation to explore how to keep the park size as is while still taking care of the ecological issues.
"This is a gem in the heart of Westminster and we understand how meaningful this land is to the people that use it the most," said Carmelia. "Our folks do their homework and I think that's something to be proud of and it's up to us to ensure that we listen to them and listen to their advice."
The next Westminster city government meeting that will have the park's future on the agenda will be July 8.
