Spokane County officials keep popular dog park up and running for another year

Furry residents of Spokane County’s easternmost end will have dedicated room to run for another year.

The Spokane County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to keep the Patricia Simonet Laughing Dog Park open for another year, rescinding a prior decision to terminate the lease at Gateway Regional Park where the dog park has operated since 2006. Widespread public support for the park led county leaders to reverse course.

The park was expected to close Tuesday after the county initiated the process to end its long running lease with the Washington State Department of Transportation. The decision to end the lease was made due to budgetary constraints, as previously reported by The Spokesman-Review.

County commissioners agreed to fund the dog park in 2006, making it the first dog park in Spokane County.

The cost for the lease and the upkeep for the park is around $32,000 per year, according to county records. Doug Chase, Spokane County Parks, Recreation and Golf director, told the county commissioners Tuesday that the cost could almost entirely be covered using funds for unfilled staff positions within his department.

Chase advised the commissioners to rescind the termination notice sent last year while multiple local entities work through a planning process for the future of the entirety of the site that will likely take a year.

WSDOT communicated to Chase that in addition to the county’s interest in the land, the Spokane Transit Authority has expressed long-term interest in establishing an “intermodal facility,” likely a park-n-ride, at Gateway Regional Park. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which currently operates a watercraft inspection station at the park, also has further interest.

“If we remain another year, it provides them a lot more time to sort that out,” Chase said. “It also allows the public to continue to utilize the facilities.”

Commissioner Josh Kerns, who represents the district north of the park, floated the idea of relocating the park onto county land in a year’s time. Chase said that is one of the options to explore in the coming months; the county owns a plot a little more than two acres immediately west of where the dog park is located, as well as nearly 30 acres further to the west that make up the broader Gateway Regional Park.

“If we’re going to spend money taking care of a property, I would much rather it be a property we actually own than someone else’s property,” Kerns said.

Marty Weiser, who helped rally parkgoers, said eastern Spokane County residents will be pleased with the decision. Weiser is a Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service volunteer who helps maintain the space, and he said he’s enlisted a few others willing to help maintain the park in the meantime.

“There’s enough people that want to volunteer and help out and make it work, so hopefully we can keep it available,” Weiser said.

John Sahr, who assisted in Weiser’s efforts to convey support for keeping the park, is one of those newly minted volunteers. Public awareness of the park closure came after Sahr reached out to Spokane County parks about establishing a memorial bench in the park for a friend he met at the park.

That friend, Kerry Brown, was homeless when Sahr met him. Sahr assisted with reconnecting him with his family, provided him a place to live and later adopted his dog after Brown died in December.

Sahr said the park provides a wonderful sense of community for the “usual suspects” who frequent it. He’s pleased that the commissioners saw the park’s value and will work to keep it running after the year is up.

“There’s already a good vibe going around the usuals, knowing the county didn’t just blow us off,” Sahr said.