By Tyler Wright
One local is raising concerns over an unfinished dog park in Cockatoo, after Cardinia Shire Council released draft plans for an off-leash area at Alma Treloar Reserve.
Cockatoo resident Chris Thompson said when he originally saw the plans for the development of a dog park at the Alma Treloar Reserve, he realised the town was going to have something “really special”.
“I used to be involved in the Alma Treloar Creek…as a volunteer, and then the dog park fencing area was thrown up there as an idea, and some of the town said no, some said yes. I was against it at first,” Mr Thompson said.
“But once I saw the plans and realised that we were going to have something really special up here, we got behind it, and most of the town did.
“When we finally started to see the fencing go up, we went ‘yes, right, great, we’ve got it’”
On Tuesday 13 June, Mr Thompson said he was told that works on the dog park were complete.
“I said ‘well, how can it be complete?'”
“Inside there is nothing. There’s no dog bins, no dog bags, there’s no seating, there’s no footpaths, there’s no shade, there’s no water access, there is absolutely nothing.”
A Cardinia Shire Council spokesperson told the Star Mail the Alma Treloar dog off-leash project has not been completed and works are still underway.
“While the key elements of the dog off leash area have been completed to a point that the community can start using it, the project is expected to be officially completed in the coming weeks,” the spokesperson said.
“Features still to be completed include garden beds and planting, creek bank revegetation, drinking fountain installation, seating, signage, bins, and a path extension to the pump track.”
While works are expected to be completed in the coming weeks, the spokesperson said, the drinking fountain will be installed “after the carpark improvement works have been completed next financial year”.
“The final design of the dog off leash area was based on community feedback and meets the need for the area to be used for multiple purposes, as well as certain Melbourne Water requirements.”
“Once all the remaining items have been completed, the community will be notified. During this time, council will continue to monitor the site and make improvements to ensure the area remains usable as we head into the winter months.”
The total cost of the project is $180,000 with the fencing element costing $46,000.
