City eyes dog parks for east end, South Windsor

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Windsor’s pandemic puppies could have new places to play next year if city council goes ahead with proposals for two more dog parks.

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At the request of Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis, city staff have sniffed out three greenspaces suitable for four-legged fun, two of which they recommend running with to address dog park deserts in South Windsor and the east end. To implement them both would cost as much as $900,000.

“Being in touch with residents on a daily basis, you realize quickly that we need more dog parks,” Francis told the Star. “What really expedited the need for that was COVID-19 and lockdowns,” with more people staying home, spending time outside, and adopting furry friends.

City staff identified Realtor Park and Elizabeth Kishkon Park in the east end, and Oakwood Park, south of the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex, in Francis’s South Windsor ward, as the “highest-rated potential locations” for new dog parks. Although both Realtor and Kishkon Parks are in wards without dog parks, administration recommends going ahead with Kishkon Park to serve east end residents, since Realtor Park in Ward 5 is not far from Ford Test Track Dog Park in Ward 6. Kishkon Park in Ward 7 “is significantly farther away,” a staff report said.

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Ward 7 Coun. Jeewen Gill, like Francis, said he has noticed a growth in his neighborhood’s dog population.

“We are excited,” Gill said. “If people want something, I try my best to accommodate — it seems every second or third house has a dog now.”

Creating a new dog park requires “a number of things beyond just putting up a fence and letting some dogs run wild,” said James Chacko, the city’s senior manager of parks. As a result of mistakes made with previous dog parks, city policy now requires that future parks require adequate drainage to prevent heavily-trodden grass from becoming mud pits. To keep canines hydrated, parks must also have water sources. Accessibility is also key to ensuring all visitors can move around the space.

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If council approves financing for the two proposed dog parks on Monday, community consultation will be required. That could take three or four weeks, Chacko said. Shovels could then be in the ground in late summer or early fall, with the parks opening to dogs in less than a year.

Council in 2016 approved a 20-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which recommended the creation of more dog parks and a dog park policy. Said policy was finalized in 2019 and identified size, location, accessibility, and infrastructure requirements. Windsor’s four existing dog parks — Ford Test Track, Optimist Memorial, Remington Booster, and Malden — were established after the policy.

The policy prohibits dog parks from being built in close proximity to various amenities, including splash pads, sports fields, horticulture displays, and cemeteries. Dog parks must be located within existing parks classified as either community or regional parks, not within “neighbourhood parks,” a staff report said. In addition, dog parks must be at least 1.5 acres in size.

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