SLO could spend $1 million to improve Laguna Lake’s ‘eyesore’ dog park. Here’s the plan
San Luis Obispo is planning to commit some major cash to repairing the aging Laguna Lake Dog Park — including reconstructing the park to feature small- and large-dog areas, removing the stumps of diseased trees and adding new fencing.
During its meeting on Tuesday, April 2, the San Luis Obispo City Council authorized staff to advertise a construction contract for up to $1.13 million for revitalization of the dog park.
“It’s a really important, significant amenity for our entire city,” Vice Mayor Andy Pease said during the meeting.
According to a staff report, the city’s Parks and Recreation Blueprint for the Future — which guides the development of parks, facilities and programs in the city through 2041 — identified dog parks “as a high-priority amenity within the city of San Luis Obispo.”
Meanwhile, the 3-acre off-leash park near Laguna Lake has deteriorated significantly in the 25 years since it opened.
The park has lost more than a dozen trees to disease and drought, the report said, while the concrete pads installed beneath benches have settled and cracked.
The uneven terrain and spotty irrigation also mean the majority of the park “is either wet and swampy in winter months or dried out with severe cracks and fissures due to the clay dirt in the hotter months,” the report said.
The park also needs updates to its fencing and gates to bring them up to current standards for a “safe and secure formal dog park,” the report said.
The proposed revitalization would include the removal of tree stumps and the cracked concrete pads, regrading of the entire park and the addition of a full perimeter fence as well as creating two separate dog areas for small and large dogs.
The park would also feature double-gated entries, as well as drinking fountains with dog bowls, ADA-compliant concrete paths and more seating, according to the report.
Dog owners rejoice at planned fixes to SLO park
The planned improvements sat well with park users who have long been waiting for fixes at the city’s only large dog park.
The next closest is the El Chorro Dog Park at the El Chorro Regional Park on Highway 1.
“I’ve been coming here for close to 25 years,” resident Kathy Kimball told The Tribune at the Laguna Lake park on Thursday. “I’ve seen it when it was very beautiful and well-maintained — and kind of deteriorated. The fact the city is going to do some improvements is a wonderful thing.”
Resident Anthony Bolin noted the park’s renovations would also make it more welcoming for visitors.
“We get a lot of people that are just going through town and they’ll stop by here just for their dogs to get out,” Bolin said. “It’s just nice, that way it’s not so much of an eyesore, maybe?”
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