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Public invited to weigh in on off-leash dog parks in Salt Lake County

(Scott Sommerdorf | Tribune file photo) Dogs and dog owners enjoy themselves at the dog park inside Herman Franks Park on 700 East near 1300 South, Aug. 25, 2016.

Salt Lake County is hosting several open houses to gather public feedback on six candidate sites for regional off-leash dog parks.

Beginning Tuesday in Kearns, this is the first round of public meetings since Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation narrowed a lengthy list of potential sites to six prime prospects.

Public input will figure into the final selection of two or three off-leash areas of 5-10 acres each, with development expected within the next couple of years.

The six finalist candidates are Cougar Park, West Jordan; Granite Park, Sandy; 6000 W. Herriman Park, Herriman; Lodestone Regional Park, West Valley City; Wardle Fields, Bluffdale; and Welby Regional Park, South Jordan.

“We knew going in that there was a need for these kind of facilities in the southwestern part of the valley, especially. There was a pretty clear need out there,” said Clayton Scrivner, Parks and Recreation spokesman.

Salt Lake City lists seven existing off-leash parks within its boundaries, while Taylorsville, West Jordan, Sandy and Draper each has such a park. The county also has an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service to allow dogs off-leash in Mill Creek Canyon on odd-numbered days on canyon trails.

The public open-house schedule for potential new county off-leash parks is:

• Tuesday, Feb. 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Kearns Recreation Center, 5670 Cougar Lane<br>• Wednesday, Feb. 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Salt Lake County Government Center South Building Lobby, 2001 S. State St.<br>• Monday, Feb. 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m., J.L. Sorenson Recreation Center, 5350 W. 12600 South, Herriman<br>• Thursday, Feb. 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Dimple Dell Recreation Center, 10670 S. 1000 East, Sandy.