Delta council has given final approval for a new enclosed off-leash dog area at Paterson Park.
At its Sept. 20 meeting it approved awarding a contract for $237,000 to Wood Projects Ltd., to build the facility at Clarence Taylor Crescent in Ladner.
Following a public consultation process, council OK’d the design for the project in June. Completion is expected this fall.
The city will use split-rail fencing to enclose the area.
The bid was the lowest of three that were received on the province’s B.C. Bid page.
In addition to the contract amount, the city has included a possible additional $13,000 for the project as a contingency amount, raising the total cost to $250,000.
However, $100,000 of that is being covered by funds left over from previous projects.
An earlier city staff report notes that the enclosure does not alter the existing boundaries of the designated dog off-leash area, but simply provides an enclosed portion of the off-leash area should dog owners wish to have their dogs in a safe, fenced space.
The project is part of the 2022 financial plan and a Sept. 8 staff report notes that the bidding process has shown that construction costs have risen and drainage improvements were more substantial than initially thought.
The city's current capital plan said the community wants the City of Delta to create additional off-leash dog enclosures.
This year, the focus is on enclosing existing open off-leash areas, to ensure that safer space is available for dogs and to add features at other existing enclosures, said the report.
Designs will be created and consultations will be held for other locations for off-leash areas where fencing will be provided initially, followed by benches and water features in later years. A new enclosed off-leash area is also planned for Pebble Hill.
