Council OK's amended dog park lease

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook City Council approved an amended lease with a local non-profit group that plans to open a dog park in Barnett Park as soon as this fall.

The amended lease with McCook K9 Korner has a clause that allows the city to terminate the lease and close the park if a claim occurs that increases the costs of the city’s liability insurance. Minor events on the property site would not affect the lease, said City Manager Nate Schneider said at the council meeting Monday night.

The dog park would have no impact on the city’s current and prospective liability insurance, Schneider said, and for the city’s property insurance, there would only be a slight increase. The City of McCook will cover that increase in the insurance, according to the lease.

The fence and other improvements to the park will be donated to the city so it can be covered under the city’s insurance, according to the lease.

Bruce McDowell spoke on behalf of K9 Korner and said the dog park is an added amenity the city can offer to potential and current residents. Dog parks are a growing trend for travelers as well: McDowell said outside of Lincoln and Omaha, there are 15 dog parks in Nebraska. He said dog owners, as stated on signs that will be posted at the park, will be responsible for removing their animal’s waste at the park, and that K9 Korner will also ensure that waste is removed.

Enough funds have been raised for the major expense of the chain-link fence and the installer has the measurements and is ready to go, McDowell said. Once the fence is installed, the park can be opened and that could happen sometime this fall, said Ronda Graff, a McCook K9 Korner member.

Donations are still being accepted for other items at the park, such as benches and a watering station. For more information on donations, go to mccookk9korner.org.

The off-leash park will be divided into two separate dog runs, one for small dogs and one for large dogs. Rules to use the park will be posted at the park, including that owners will be legally responsible for their dogs at all times.

In other business, the council approved the increased rates in solid waste collection for city residential and commercial customers. The increases rates were improved on the second reading, as requested by Kyle Potthoff, Public Works Director, so they could go into effect by September. Trash collection fees will increase by 75 cents for residential customers, from $23.75 to $24.50 and for commercial customers, from $65 per ton to $67 per ton. The increase will help offset the jump in fuel prices, Potthoff said at the Sept. 7 council meeting. Trash collected in the city is transported to the J Bar J landfill in Ogallala, Neb.