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<br />Parks Supervisor Riverblood stated that the League of Minnesota Cities has drafted language <br />about this that would be posted. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look asked about the location of the new tower. <br /> <br />Parks Supervisor Riverblood noted the location. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look noted that the tower maintenance will have to go through the off-leash <br />area to maintain the tower. He asked about liability issues when a ball flies over the fence. <br /> <br />Parks Supervisor Riverblood stated that this is a 6-foot high fence, so he does not think a lot of <br />balls get out that far. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look asked about balls endangering the people or pets in the park. <br /> <br />Parks Supervisor Riverblood reiterated that it is quite a distance and thinks the parking lot or trail <br />area would have more possibility of having contact with a ball than this area. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he is concerned when you have animals mixed with a play <br />area. He stated that it is foreseeable that balls will end up in these areas where dogs are. He <br />stated that it is also foreseeable that kids will go into the fenced area and that someone could get <br />bit. He stated that he does not think this is a good placement or a good idea to spend $7,000 for <br />a dog area. He stated that he does not' know the kind of demand for this type of park and has not <br />seen any evidence included in the packet. He stated that he does not see it as a City function to <br />provide a park for dogs, cats or felTets. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that he feels Councilmember Dehen must not walk the trails much because <br />there are a lot of people out walking their dogs. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated that this does not prevent people from walking their dogs, the issue <br />is off-leash. He stated that he saw one letter in the packet asking for an off-leash park, but he has <br />not heard any other requests. <br /> <br />Parks Supervisor Riverblood stated that he can bring back a more comprehensive analysis <br />supporting the need for an off-leash park. He stated that part of the issue is the need in the urban <br />areas that do liot have big yards and noted that it can also be a social experience for dog owners. <br />He stated that the advantage of this site is the proximity to those users and the existing fencing in <br />place. <br /> <br />Councilmember Strommen stated that she has heard from a number of people that they would <br />like to see this in the City. She stated that she has a dog and agrees that dogs need off-leash <br />time. She added that a lot of cOlmnunities have done this. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he wants to make sure that everyone understands that he is not <br />opposed to having people get exercise and run their dogs on the trail system. He just does not <br />know that he is in favor of an off-leash area given safety concerns and spending $7,000 to have <br /> <br />City Council! November 25, 2008 <br />Page 16 of24 <br /> <br />P24 <br />