Furry friends to fetch fame in photo contest

dogs-web

by Ashley Janes

The Town of Morinville is having a dog photo contest, running now until August 15, the winner of which will be showcased on the cover of a brochure advertising the future Morinville Off-leash Dog Park. This is good news for the enthusiastic dog owner looking to show Spot off.
The contest is simple. Residents can submit their favorite photo to tburke@morinville.ca, including their name and phone number in the body of the email. They will then be notified if their submission wins. There will also be an opportunity for a second and third placing, as pictures will be used throughout the brochure and on other advertisings.

Chris Fish, Community Services Department’s Business Manager, said that staff hope the contest will give residents a sense of pride and ownership over the park. “We felt it was a nice touch to have the community get involved instead of using the generic photos we find on the web.”
Fish also explained that the winner will be chosen by the Community Services Department, therefore Town staff are exempt from the competition in order to avoid any bias.

“There have been quite a few photos already submitted and we are looking forward to seeing many more. This is their park and we want the public to be just as excited as we are about this addition to our town.”

But that is not the only good news. Morinville’s pooches will wag with delight when they hear that the tentative timeline for completing the off-leash dog park is set for this fall. Town Chief Administration Officer Debbie Oyarzun said construction on the site could begin as soon as September.

“Residents have requested an off-leash dog park for a few years now. Council approved a $50,000 budget for 2014. Champion Petfoods has also expressed interest in providing some financial support to this project.”

Finally, a social spot for Spot!

If residents are interested in learning more about the dog park, Town administrative staff will be presenting a detailed package to Council on August 26 with all the available information on the project to date.

Oyarzun explained that a location for the dog park has not yet been selected; however, administrative staff have reviewed several locations in Morinville and a recommendation for the site will be made to Council based on standard criteria and best practices.

The Town will also be conducting a local survey which is available to residents next week. Oyarzun said that the survey will ask questions regarding things like preferred amenities and park usage in order to assist project leaders in providing the best experience for both dog owners and their pets.

A part of that positive experience is the photo contest, so if you would like to enter, do so before the submission deadline at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 26.

Update: The survey is now online at http://morinville.fluidsurveys.com/s/dogparksurvey/

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