The Town of Barrhead is going to the dogs.
Or at least a small portion of it will be. On May 14, councillors decided to use an unused portion of the Barrhead Sportsgrounds to create a temporary off-leash dog park.
All we can say is it is long overdue. And we are not just saying that because a number of our staff own dogs, but because of the potential economic benefits.
During the debate to replace the aquatics centre, proponents of the facility argued that the lack of a swimming pool was hurting the community economically as people were leaving the community to go swimming and taking their money with them.
And we agreed. Obviously, people who like swimming are going to look for opportunities to do that. And a trip to the pool with the kids likely means a stop for treats afterwards, so that’s money being spent in the community.
Of course, one could make the same argument for, say, the Tim Hortons. Before it opened, there were probably more people leaving Barrhead to get a double-double and honey crueller than there were people leaving Barrhead to go swimming.
And unlike a pool, we don’t have to spend taxpayer dollars to operate a Tim Hortons.
Even so, the presence of local amenities is going to be a factor in whether or not someone re-locates to a community like Barrhead. If we don’t have available housing, a local hospital, decent schools and some recreational facilities, people are less likely going to choose Barrhead as a home.
An off-leash dog park is part of that list. Will it be the tipping point for a person or an investor to come to Barrhead? Probably not, but for relatively little expense and effort, it certainly doesn’t hurt. If you take a look at the number of dogs in our community, there should be a demand.
Is the location council chosen the right one? Actually, we think it might be. It has a lot of things going for it, most notably nearby parking. With the lack of off-leash options in the community, the people who access the dog park are likely not to be within walking distance, so parking is important.
Of course, there will always be people who say it is not a right fit. Coun. Don Smith and Coun. Shelly Oswald expressed their concern that the park was too close to a residential neighbourhood and worried about the potential noise.
To that we say: really? Are dogs any louder than a few dozen teenagers playing baseball during a weekend tournament?
As a group, there are more dog owners, than there are swimmers, curlers, hockey and baseball players, all of which have their own facility and all of which came at a much higher price tag than some fencing and dog waste containers.
So let’s give it a chance.
