Squire Park outreach continues; survey and in-person input show mixed interest in dog park

City staff told the Parks and Recreation Board that outreach for Squire Park has produced mixed signals about potential amenities, and the project team will present compiled survey and outreach results to the City Council at an upcoming study session.

Staff said a June 5 in-person meeting drew about 10 to 15 residents and yielded suggestions including enhanced landscaping, grading of existing amenities and consideration of a dog park. When staff reviewed the broader survey responses, however, the dog-park idea did not appear in the larger survey dataset. Staff told the board they will package the in-person feedback, the virtual meeting input and the online survey results for council review so the council can see the full range of outreach.

Board members asked how strongly the project team should pursue a dog park at Squire, noting the city already has an established dog park and that a new dog area could be expensive. Staff said survey data — which has higher respondent counts than the in-person meeting — will carry substantial weight when city leaders evaluate scope and budget. Staff also invited board members to attend a neighborhood engagement event at Squire next Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m., which will include a DJ, yard games, inflatables, food vendors and on-site outreach stations to collect survey responses.

No formal decisions were made; staff will return compiled outreach and survey data for council and board review, and the board will monitor whether survey results support adding specific costly amenities such as a dog park or splash pad.