Despite opening an off-leash dog park this past summer, the four-year debate on how to strengthen off-leash regulations on Bainbridge continues to be a topic of discussion for city officials.
A draft ordinance regulating off-leash dog walking has sat in the queue for a first reading since June and shows little sign of making its debut on the Bainbridge Island City Council dais.
“We do not have unanimous support for the way it’s drafted and ready to go and that’s part of the difficulty,” said Mayor Anne Blair at a recent Intergovernmental Working Group meeting.
“It would be nice to be able to feel confident that it’s something that will be supported, and we’re not there yet,” she said.
The topic reemerged after mention of the newly-built Strawberry Hill dog park led to a nudge by the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District.
“As soon as we got that open, we were starting to hear from people who want us to crack down on off-leash dogs outside of that area,” said Jay Kinney of the parks district board.
“So that brings me to the ordinance that we worked on with our committee for the last year. It’s been drafted, and it would be great if you guys could enact it,” he added.
Blair explained that the council is divided on the issue.
The city’s current law that allows dogs on city-owned property to be off leash within 30 feet, but under voice command, Blair said. That has made the issue less than clear cut.
“That’s very dear to many people, and not so dear to others,” she said.
“And that’s the rub.”
Although at some point it will be roll of dice, Blair said she hopes the council can work collaboratively toward an ordinance they can agree on.
In the meantime, also in the works, is another off-leash dog park at Battle Point Park.
“We have an awful lot of off-leash dogs in Battle Point, so if we had an area for that, we think it would go a long ways toward alleviating that,” Kinney said
Where the off-leash dog area at Strawberry Hill Park park offers a small-scale wooded space for dogs to roam, at Battle Point dogs will have access to a larger, more open area to throw a ball or frisbee.
The park at Battle Point depends to an extent on available funding, but, Kinney said, residents can expect future public meetings to discuss the project.
