The upgrades to a very popular Electoral Areas B and C Park on Mutrie Road are almost complete. The construction security fence has come down around the Mutrie Road Dog Park and users are welcome to use the newly expanded parking lot. Thank you to the park neighbors and all the users for their patience and minding of the signs and closures during the recent construction.
Mike Macnabb, Electoral Area C Director, stated that, “The cold weather in December did not hold us off from completing the upgrades that the park users have asked for. I am pleased with the changes to this Electoral Area B and C park and look forward to the final touches. This is a very well used dog park and we are pleased to make it even easier and more pleasant to use.”
The parking lot has been expanded and now has 20 parking stalls on hard packed and sloped gravel to prevent pot holes and ponding water. Each parking stall has a yellow wheel stop to help users know where to park. Note that parking is now perpendicular to Mutrie Road instead of parallel.
There is a new dog refuge area as you enter the park from the parking lot. This is intended to give dogs and their owners a chance to more calmly enter or exit the park one at a time and to provide refuge if needed for leashing and unleashing.
Only one tree had to be removed, which could not be replanted due to root rot. Relocating a bench and general cleanup of the area was also completed. It is expected that due to the earlier work done on the drainage ditches along Mutrie Road that water ponding beside the parking lot will no longer occur.
The main walking paths were upgraded with six inches of a mulch material sourced from the RDNO's Regional Yard Waste Composting Facility at the Greater Vernon Recycling and Disposal Facility. It is expected that this material will help reduce the amount of mud in the park. Using this material shows how your yard waste is being put to work in the region.
Two vehicle gates have been added for use only by the park maintenance contractors. Park name, instruction signage and a notice board will be installed as soon as weather and time permits.
“The improvements to the parking lot will make a big different to access and convenience for park users”, stated Bob Fleming, Electoral Area B Director and Chair of the RDNO Board of Directors. “We also hope to add more of the features the public has asked for including benches, trees, potable water, and a connection to other nearby walking trails”.
Park users are asked to continue to take the necessary precautions when using the park during inclement weather and outside of daylight hours (dusk to dawn).
For further information, please call 250-550-3700.