By ROY WOOD

At a cost of between $20,000 and $40,000, Osoyoos council thinks it has come up with a workable solution to the dog park vs. baseball diamond conundrum that has been bubbling for thee months.

Under two motions approved by council Monday, three key things will happen, assuming money can be found in the 2018 budget:

• The current dog park, on the west bench adjacent to the existing ball diamond, will be returned to its original use as a ball field, including a shale infield;
• The old BMX park, south of the current dog park and west of the town tennis courts, will be re-purposed as a dog park, including clearing the weeds and adding grass and other landscaping; and
• An area of Kinsmen Park, on the east side of the lake along Highway 3, will be fenced off for use as an off-leash area for dogs.

Mayor Sue McKortoff began discussion of the recommendations from community services director Gerald Davis by saying she has received “more emails and phone calls (on this) than on any other issue.”

She said the issue has been very contentious and a difficult one for members of council to deal with as they try to come up with the best solution in a situation of competing interests.

“In many cases,” she said, “We have to make compromises. … We know we can’t make everyone happy.”

Councillor CJ Rhodes described the issue as “polarizing,” but that council has tried to accommodate as many people as possible.

He suggested a “coalition of people,” including dog owners could work with the town to help design the new dog park in the old BMX track area. Nothing in the motions passed by council mentioned such a coalition, but there seemed to be consensus that one would be created.

The issue has been before council since July when Osoyoos Minor Baseball Association (OMBA) president Jason Bartsch approached the town seeking a “dedicated minor baseball facility” for the town.

The preferred option of the OMBA was to return the current ballpark to its original use as a ball diamond.

Strong objections arose immediately from dog owners in various local media and on social media.

There was no minor baseball in Osoyoos for several years until the OMBA started up in 2015. As a result, when dog owners approached the town five years ago seeking an off-leash area, the under-used ball field seemed a reasonable solution.

The old BMX park is “a wasteland of weeds and puncture vine,” according to Davis’s report. He told council he spoke to a former official in a local BMX organization, who told him there is in no likelihood that the there will be demand for a re-built BMX track.

As for the Kinsmen Park facility, Davis said it is already being used by residents as an off-leash dog park.

“The playground and activity area can easily be fenced off from the dog-use area. … Families (will) have the opportunity to simultaneously bring their kids to the play area and their dog to the off-leash area,” the report said.

The report said the project to provide a new ball diamond and dog parks would cost between $20,000 and $40,000, depending of which of several options were chosen by council.

The main cost is just over $17,000 for shale for the new infield. Fencing at Kinsman will be about $5,000. Other costs not detailed would be for possible extra fencing at the west bench facility and for clearing and landscaping costs at the old BMX park.

Davis indicated that work on converting the BMX park to a dog park and the dog park to a ball diamond could begin as early as March. In the meanwhile, dog owners will still be permitted to use the current dog park.

In an emailed statement Monday, OMBA president Bartsch said: “Today’s decision by our Town Council solidified their support of minor baseball in Osoyoos. We applaud the administration and town staff for their thorough analysis of the community’s requests and we are delighted by Town Council’s leadership in advancing our local youth sports facilities.

“We are so excited for all our local kids. Present and future ball players will be able to play the game, learn the game and love the game as much as we do. … These upgraded facilities will … provide local economic boosts during the baseball season to our business sector through tournament hosting in the spring shoulder season.”

The issue will come before council again in November when it begins 2018 budget discussions.