Volunteers to build covered shelter at small dog park; city to waive permit fee

The Parks Board heard a proposal from volunteers to build a covered shelter in the small dog park and agreed the city will waive the permit fee while inspections will remain required.

Board members described the project as a volunteer-led build. Kristen Hartman said the volunteers have been working with Arrow Lumber for donated materials and that the city will waive the permit fee. "It'll be inspected by Roy and everything," Hartman said. The first unit will be built in the small dog park; volunteers aim to later build a similar shelter in the large dog park.

Board members identified the volunteer lead as Mike Cairns, who said he and his dog McCartney use the small dog park frequently and selected that site because it gets more daily use. The proposed design discussed in the meeting includes treated posts, polycarbonate windows and an aluminum roof; Hartman said structural drawings are being prepared by an engineer and that the volunteers expect to start work within roughly a month once plans are finalized.

The board clarified the build is a volunteer project with donated materials and no anticipated cost to the parks or city for construction. Hartman said the city will still require a permit and inspection; the permit fee will be waived but the formal permitting process will proceed.

No formal permit or construction schedule was approved at the meeting; the board asked volunteers to provide final drawings and a start date so staff can post public notices about construction activity.

Next steps: volunteers to deliver engineered plans to city staff and coordinate a start date; staff will post notice and coordinate inspections.