Hitting the “Paws” Button

The council’s unanimous vote of support in May for a dog park was a major, though short lived, victory for local dog lovers. The short task list, to move from concept to project, included a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation site tour in June. It was then that city staff and some Friends of Canandaigua Canine Campus (CCC) volunteers learned that the Ontario Street parcel, offered as a donation to the city for a dog park, is comprised of federal and state-regulated freshwater wetlands and the DEC won’t issue the required permits to develop the land.

We no longer have a viable location and the project has stalled.

CCC and city officials continue to explore site alternatives and we also will be issuing a public appeal to individual or corporate landowners to consider donating approximately two acres of raw land to the city for a dog park. While the city cannot solicit land donations, they will gladly accept one if it is the right fit for the project. Any donation to the city is tax deductible.

Yes, it must be city-owned land for a dog park to be managed and maintained by the city. The town has no interest in building or collaborating on a dog park.