Editor’s note: Yes we know that this park is outside our coverage area but we discovered this issue mattered to people in our area, so we kept an eye on it for you.

The Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park will soon be fenced in, per a plan approved by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board last night.

The Parks system will put up fencing to maintain land boundaries to mitigate dogs from straying away from Park & Rec Board property.

"MPRB needs to be a good neighbor to adjacent property owners," reads a note on a map of the existing and future fencing at the dog park.

A map of the current Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park and surrounding property. Image by Carol HeilStone, courtesy of the Park & Rec Board

Users of the dog park are not happy with the Park & Rec Board’s decision. A petition with over 1,600 signatures voices disapproval of the fencing plan going up for a vote without a public hearing.

“Despite our concerted efforts to urge the board to reject the proposal and advocate for an open public meeting, our voices were disregarded,” the petition reads. “This decision not only undermines our community's wishes but also raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability.”

Multiple dogs congregating at the beach near the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park. Photo courtesy of Chuck Peters

A fence will be erected along the beach that will limit access to areas that dogs and their owners are currently allowed to venture down.

A map of the proposed conditions at the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park that the Park & Rec Board approved last night. Image by Carol HeilStone, courtesy of the Park & Rec Board

The Park & Rec Board voted 6-3, with Commissioners Tom Olsen, Becky Alper, and Billy Menz voting against the new fencing plan. Commissioners Elizabeth Schaffer, Meg Forney, Charles Rucker, Cathy Abene, Steffanie Musich, and Becka Thompson voted for the fencing.

The fence construction starting this fall will be partially funded by Minneapolis tax money that goes into the Park & Recreation Board's budget.