The Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board unanimously approved a request from the city of Sedona to construct a fence to enclose the grass field west of the Dr. Nancy Alexander Administration Building at 221 Brewer Road in order to “have a dog park or dog-related events on the property” during its May 13 meeting.
Board member Lauren Robinson was absent.
The property is across the street from Ranger Station Park and is leased by the city of Sedona from SOCSD for use by the Parks and Recreation Department and the magistrate courts.
“The public will be able to have off-leash dogs there once the fencing is constructed,” City Manager Anette Spickard said. “We are working on cost and schedule now so don’t have [a cost estimate] yet. It is too small of a project to have a stand-alone capital project budget. It will be paid for out of our maintenance budget.”
Parks and Recreation Manager Josh Frewin said that the fencing would allow the city to move its “Yappy Hour” event for dog owners and Sedona’s greyhound club events from the Posse Grounds Park softball field to the Brewer Road location.
Frewin said the fencing will be installed early in July and that the decision was made for sanitary reasons in order to keep animals off the athletic field, as they often relieve themselves, as well as to reduce the maintenance issues caused by dogs digging up the turf.
Frewin said that public interest in having a grass area for dogs was one of the reasons for the project, and that fencing was more cost-effective than installing grass and a water system at the existing city Dog Park on Posse Grounds Road.
“The Yappy Hour group, we’ve moved them to the dog park a few times, and they don’t love it as space, it’s just not great size-wise,” Frewin said. “With the greyhounds, especially, they need a little bit more room to run around and need a private area. They aren’t interacting with other breeds of dogs.”
Frewin said that a use schedule for the new area was being developed for the two dog groups and that there was “potential” the space could be open use for general dog owners during the weekends.
