Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park will soon be fenced off

Parts of the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park where residents have brought their dogs for decades will soon be fenced off.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board passed a resolution Tuesday to formalize the park's boundaries, cutting off access to areas that are not part of the park, including more than half of the beach.

Commissioners in support said the fence is necessary to protect wildlife and respect neighboring landowners.

The National Park Service, which owns neighboring land, asked for the change and is providing a grant for the project, Commissioner Steffanie Musich said.

"That was unfair to people to allow the assumption that all land in that general vicinity was an off-leash dog park. It may be used that way people, but that's not what it is. We did ask our partner agencies if they'd be open to an expansion of the dog park onto their property, and the answer was no,” Musich said.

Three commissioners voted no, including Tom Olsen.

“If these other organizations so badly want this area fenced off, they should do it themselves. We don't have to be the ones implementing this, because our constituents do not want it, and it is indeed really important ground jewel of our park system,” Olsen said.

A petition opposing the plan received over 1,300 signatures. Residents say they haven't had enough time to share input after learning about the proposal a few days ago.

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