ZELIENOPLE — Borough council members voted to deny a conditional use permit for a new dog park following a continuation of a public hearing on the matter during a meeting on Monday, Jan. 13.

Despite the borough's planning commission recommending approval, four residents raised various concerns about the feasibility of a dog park located at the corner of Front and Hazel streets.

Those concerns largely resonated with council members, who each provided their thoughts before ultimately rejecting the proposal.

“Although I would love to see a dog park in Zelienople, I believe that there is argument that this might not be the best location,” said council member Mary Hess, who had stepped down as president as the meeting began. “My concerns about the water and the tightness to the actual location might be a challenge.”

The grievances mostly pertained to traffic, noise, potential flooding and the cleanliness of the park for both owners and pets.

One resident argued that the space is prone to flooding and would be a detriment to the nearby houses.

“A lot of dog parks that we have been to have been near park parks because of the accommodations like parking and water,” said resident Elizabeth Peterson during the public hearing. “This is just basically a swamp, and it’s not near a park.

“Another problem with the location is that the area does flood, and it has flooded every single year since I’ve lived here in 2012. Maybe it doesn’t flood catastrophically, but it does have standing water in it some of the time during most seasons.”

Several surveys taken by staff indicated that residents have a desire for more green space in the borough to go along with Zelienople Community Park.

While the dog park was rejected, council members asserted that there would be an opportunity for something else in that space.

“As a small town, we are space challenged, but we got some great feedback,” said new council President Gregg Semel, who was appointed by Hess at Monday’s meeting. “I think we’ll have our antennas up looking for other options for that space.”