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Resident pitches upgrades for North Ogden dog park; council asks staff to check stormwater and parking
Summary
A resident presented a detailed plan to upgrade the city's off‑leash dog park — including a walking track, shade trees, a small dog pool and improved entrances — and the council asked staff to evaluate stormwater impacts, parking and funding options.
A North Ogden resident laid out a multi‑part proposal to make the city’s off‑leash dog park more usable year‑round and more inviting to families. The council asked staff to confirm that proposed improvements would not interfere with stormwater detention and to explore parking and funding options.
What was proposed
Matt Fritz, who identified himself as a North Ogden resident and former military officer, presented photos, maps and a plan that would: raise and stabilize the muddy low point of the park, add a small filtered dog pool, install a perimeter walking track, build a covered picnic patio and concrete pad, add benches and a bulletin board, seed drought‑tolerant grass and plant trees for shade, and improve the entry area with bark or rubber mulch. Fritz described the park as about 1.5 acres with a roughly quarter‑mile perimeter and identified the low center as a former stormwater detention area that becomes unusable after rain.
Council and staff response
Council members and staff reacted positively but asked technical and logistical questions. Staff said the park is mowed and that the city owns some bench and waste‑station inventory that could be used; staff also noted prior conversations about whether the site is the city’s long‑term off‑leash location. Council members asked the city engineer to confirm that improvements would not compromise the stormwater detention function; they also asked the police chief and public‑works staff to evaluate safety implications of allowing parking on both sides of 850 East. Council members encouraged Fritz’s idea to organize a nonprofit or fundraising group (he cited a model, Citizens for Off‑Leash Areas, or “COLA”) and noted partnerships with nearby universities, nurseries and local businesses as possible funding or in‑kind sources.
Next steps
Council asked staff to: (1) review technical stormwater and infrastructure impacts, (2) analyze parking options (including potential future Barker Park parking), and (3) return with cost estimates and possible funding sources, including volunteer or nonprofit fundraising and grant avenues for planting and low‑water landscaping. Fritz said he and other park users are willing to volunteer to help implement improvements.
Why it matters
The site appears to be the city’s only dedicated off‑leash area; improvements could increase accessibility, shade and year‑round usability for dog owners, walkers and families, but will require confirming no adverse effect on stormwater detention, an analysis of parking capacity and funding.
