Pinetop Lakeside — During the call to the public at the Jan. 2, 2025 council meeting, resident Kenny Kale urged the town to develop a dog park, saying it would offer training and community engagement benefits and citing a 2023 town survey in which the issue ranked second.

Kale told the council a dog park could serve as an educational center for dog owners, improve neighborhood interactions, provide a space for community art and history displays, and help the town demonstrate a pet-friendly character. "Creating a dog park is a common activity for many local communities," he said, and he urged the council to use best practices learned from other municipalities to build a safer, more usable park.

The speaker praised council outreach efforts such as coffees and meet-and-greets and said increased community involvement could help move the issue forward. Council acknowledged his remarks; no agenda item or motion on a dog park was before the council at the meeting.

Kale's comments were part of the public comment period and did not trigger immediate staff direction or a formal agenda referral during the Jan. 2 meeting.