Mayor wants reconsideration of unleashed Seawall Park

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 29, 2019

Langley Mayor Tim Callison wants the council to rethink a policy allowing dogs to run free at Seawall Park.

The council is scheduled to consider the issue during the April 1 meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m.

At the last meeting, council members adopted a leash law that mandates all dogs be leashed at all times when they are outdoors in city limits, with the exception of the popular waterfront park.

Several dog owners attended the meeting and asked that a leash-free area be established. The council members chose Seawall Park.

In a memo explaining the mayor’s position, Director of Finance and Clerk Debbie Mahler wrote that some people who may go to the park are afraid or uncomfortable around dogs.

“Seawall Park is an area widely used by citizens and tourists with small children, swimmers and beachcombers,” the memo states. “Most off-leash areas in other jurisdictions are away from playgrounds and areas where children frequent.”

Also, much of the area people perceive as park land is actually private property. The largest landowner in the area of Seawall Park “is very unhappy about the idea of dogs running off leash on his property,” the memo states.

Mahler researched off-leash areas and found that other jurisdictions tend to have strict rules for behavior that are prominently posted, as well as criteria for siting dog parks. Seattle’s policy, for example, is to avoid areas abutting residences, children’s areas and sensitive environmental areas.