EL PASO COUNTY – New park rules are going into effect in El Paso County.
Commissioners are trying to make their regional parks a safer place for visitors to enjoy.
So they unanimously approved two rule changes to accomplish that.
The first is changing hours across the board from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
It’s a response to an uptick in vandalism, which cost the county $10,000 in damages in 2018.
71 percent of people supported this change while 29 percent opposed it.
The next change will go from requiring dog owners to keep dogs under control to requiring dog owners to leash their dogs, outside of a dog park.
Park officials say the previous rule was hard to enforce and often misinterpreted.
They hope it’ll lead to better waste clean-up and help prevent dog attacks.
More than 300 people submitted their feedback for this rule.
59 percent of folks were in support of the change and 41 percent were against it.
“We have to support new policies that make people feel safe,” one woman told county commissioners in support.
Another man disagreed, explaining, “Dog parks aren’t for everybody and every dog.”
These rules officially go into effect Thursday.
Though, the county is adding dog parks to make sure all parks have off-leash sections.
County commissioners are also looking into e-collars as leash replacements.
Those who do not follow the new rules could face fines.
