Signs look to keep city dog friendly
—Photo by LYNNE HALEY The Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Commission is recommending a simplified signage system for dogs and their owners.
SANDPOINT — Concerned citizens partnered with Sandpoint's Parks and Recreation Commission to clarify area signage for dog owners.
Citizen spokesperson Connie Taylor said at Wednesday's meeting that the citizens group, comprised of dog owners, started out by reviewing the signage in place around town. They counted 18 different types of canine-related notices and little uniformity of placement.
"We recommend boiling it all down to four signs," Taylor said.
They would consist of: "Off-leash Allowed," "On-leash Allowed," "No Dogs Allowed" and "Please Clean Up After Your Dog." Taylor noted that adding directional arrow signs to indicate where the various rules applied would be helpful, especially near parks.
"Some of our citizens don't know that you're supposed to have your dog on leash in all city rights-of-way," added Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff, who attended the meeting.
Taylor's volunteer committee determined 97 signs and 30 directional arrows would cover the area under review, which included some locations outside the city's purview.
"We need to be consistent as a region as to how we post the signage," said Woodruff.
Taylor said that existing poles would work for the majority of the new signs. Her group estimated the total cost would be about $1,700 for all 127 of them.
The Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously to recommend the signage plan.
"Certainly better than what we have now. My feeling is we should move on it," said Sue Austin, chairperson of the commission.
Their recommendation will go before City Council in April for final approval.