Thomson Township considers dog park

Thomson Township officials have begun brainstorming ways to bring a dog park to the Esko area with the hope of implementing the idea this summer.

Although no official plans have been made, town officials spent a chunk of time discussing the idea Thursday, May 6, when it was brought before the board by an Esko resident.

Dawn Hallsten lives in Esko and shared that she spends a lot of time outdoors with her husband.

She said they have recently noticed a lot of unleashed dogs running in the industrial park area of the town, which provoked the idea for a community dog park.

"I think it would be better if we had a nice little public spot that was set up for that," Hallsten said, explaining that the park would consist of about an acre of land fenced in, with many a bench or two and some dog waste bags available.

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Town officials immediately voiced support for the idea, but were unsure of a potential location for the dog park. Many ideas were suggested, including the use of Northridge Park, unsold land plots, tax forfeited parcels and an area near the Town Hall.
Hallsten initially suggested a plot of land within Northridge Park, but there were concerns from officials about lack of space within Northridge and the close proximity of several homes in the area.

Road Utility and Maintenance Supervisor Logan Saline said that when he previously helped with planning a dog park in the city of Superior, there was a lot of pushback from residents living close to potential park sites due to noise concerns.

"I think Northridge Park might be a little close to residential areas, because dog parks are noisy," he said.

Town engineer Joe Jurewicz suggested that the area behind the Thomson Town Hall building might be suitable, while board member Jason Paulson inquired about vacant plots of land within the Esko Industrial Park.

Dave Pritchett, Thomson Township attorney, brought up the idea of using tax forfeited parcels for a park. According to town clerk Rhonda Peleski, a letter containing four parcels that are up for forfeit within the township was just received by the town office that day.

Besides location, there was also discussion about funding, with Hallsten suggesting a GoFundMe account for fencing supplies and Jurewicz suggesting the use of volunteers for construction.

While everyone seemed to agree that a dog park would be beneficial, town officials asked Hallsten to do more research and revisit the idea at a later date.

"It's a good idea, Dawn, but I think there's a little bit more homework that needs to be brought back to us," board member Ruth Janke said.