Perth dog park gets another discussion
At Perth town council’s committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, Dec 6th, staff presented some options on a leash-free dog park. The report was requested by council after a group of residents appeared at a November committee meeting requesting the town use $150K of reserve funds to create a 5 to 6 acre park for canines. The delegation was adamant that reserve funds should be used to avoid any delays in applying for provincial or federal grants and they wanted construction to begin next year or 2024 at the latest. Their preferred location was Last Duel Park. Staff presented options on Tuesday for a more modest facility at 1.5 acres and estimated the cost of fencing would be approximately $60K. The consensus among councilors was that the requesting group should raise at least half of that amount with their own fundraising but understood that those efforts might be hampered if a specific location wasn’t identified at the beginning.
The committee voted to defer the issue to next summer, giving staff an opportunity to suggest an appropriate location. At the November delegation’s presentation, Tania Cadeau, the representative of the group, stated they had received 600 names on their petition and had fundraised $600 to date. Interestingly enough, the town of Perth only sold 59 dog tags last year raising the question of why the town would support a group that doesn’t follow municipal legislation in obtaining a license for their pet.
Arena naming request deferred
Councilors reviewed a request to rename the town’s arena in honour of long-time volunteer Dr Ralph Fish who spent countless hours there in support of the Perth Blue Wings. The town currently does not have a facility-naming policy and while councilors were grateful for Dr Fish’s commitment over the years, they deferred any decision until that policy could be written, reviewed, and accepted. Staff indicated they would have such a report completed by March of next year.
The Table provides a review
At the committee meeting Ramsay Hart of the Table Community Food Centre brought councilors up to date on demands and services. So far this year the Table has provided over 22K meals and has had over 3,000 visitors to the food bank, a dramatic increase over pre-pandemic levels. They have also seen over 1,000 visits to their community navigators who help people connect with needed social services. Their community gardens have produced over 2,200 lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables. This fall they have restarted in-person dining and food-bank visits along with their after-school programs and gentle fit activities.
Article by Brian Turner
