Dog Leashes Center of Parley's Park Tension

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) To leash or not to leash? That is the question at the heart of a Salt Lake City Council debate over the future of Parley's Historic Nature Park. The popular dog-walking site contains remnants of old mills, a brewery and other historic structures. Some, like Jeff Salt, want to see pups banned from the park entirely:

"There's a lot of the park that is not being kept clean, and a large portion in the stream corridor is being abuse largely by careless people and dogs, whether they're on leash or off leash," says Salt.

Salt is part of the newly formed "Friends of Parley's Historic Nature Park." It's one of several groups that have sprung up to champion the 88-acre natural area. A year ago the city gave dog-owners from the group Millcreek FIDOS a charge to watch after and clean up the park along with a one-year trial of off-leash dog access. Jennifer De Tapia is among the many who want permanent free-roam status for dogs at the park:

"I use the park almost everyday to exercise my dogs and myself," says De Tapia. "I hope it remains entirely off-leash. Most other parks don't include off-leash areas for dogs, so I'm restricted from using most other parks - at least until I can figure out how to play frisbee with my dog while holding a leash."

A City Council appointed a committee of dog-owners and environmentalists to recommend options for Parley's Historic Nature Park. They suggest creating a board and a master plan to manage the park year round. They also the city has a shortage of off-leash parks for dogs. But they could not agree on the hottest issue of all - whether or not require a leash at Parley's. That's question the City Council appears likely to be mulling for many months to come.

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