Minnetonka neighbors push to stop $200,000 dog area at park

Some Minnetonka neighbors are pushing back after the city approved a fenced dog area at a popular park.

The City of Minnetonka approved two fenced off-leash dog areas in Purgatory Park this summer for more than $200,000. Neighbors fighting the plan said they want the city to find another location.

“Every day, sometimes two or three times a day, ” Diana Hoyt said about how often she walks her dog at Purgatory Park and visits often enough that other people notice.

“I have new neighbors, and they said, ‘Do you know about this dog park?’” Hoyt stated. “I said, ‘I have no idea,’ so I started looking at what’s going on, and I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”

Why the pushback?

Hoyt said she believes the fence project would harm wildlife and the beauty of the park.

“It’s like putting 16 tennis courts...