Soroco Students Pitch Oak Creek Dog Park to Local Council

Steamboat Springs —The air in Oak Creek still holds the crisp, dry chill of early autumn, a stark contrast to the warmth radiating from the community gathering at the town hall. It wasn’t just another routine board meeting; it was a moment where the future of the neighborhood was literally put on the table, proposed by the very people who will grow up to inherit it.

Tariq Rogers, the coordinator for the Routt County Empowerment Program, stood at the front of the room, his voice steady as he outlined a project that started as a simple conversation two years ago. He spoke about the Soroco Youth Action Council, a group of middle and high school students who meet weekly to tackle real local problems. This isn’t a classroom exercise; it’s civic duty in action, facilitated by the nonprofit Partners for Youth, which has been guiding these students in leadership and community engagement since the council launched in March.

The project? A dog park.

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? But for South Routt, where adequate facilities for canine activity are currently non-existent, it’s a necessity. The students didn’t just pick an idea off a shelf; they researched, planned, and advocated. They identified necessary equipment, brainstormed locations, and reached out to key stakeholders, including Superintendent Kirk Henwood and town officials. Their diligence extended to soliciting letters of support from the South Routt Board of Education, the Routt County Sheriff’s Office, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, even discussing potential maintenance plans for the future.

When it came to location, the council presented two strong options: the existing Pump Track Bike Park, assuming certain modifications could be made, or the area behind the Soroco High School agriculture building. To ground their proposal in local sentiment, the youth conducted a survey of 30 residents, reaching out to folks at the Oak Creek Farmers Market and within the school community. The results were unanimous on the need; every respondent agreed a dog park was necessary. While five noted they didn’t own dogs, the majority leaned toward the pump track, with just over half favoring that site, while over a third preferred the space behind the ag building.

Rogers highlighted a critical next step: a recent opportunity for Partners for Youth to apply for a grant that would cover $25,000 of the planning and construction costs. With the initial planning phase largely complete, the council is now turning to these stakeholders to turn blueprints into reality.

The response from local leadership has been palpable. Mayor Melissa Dobbins, watching the students present their case, admitted she was trying not to get emotional. “It really is exciting to see our youth eager to be involved, to improve our community — hats off,” she said, praising their initiative and calling it a great presentation. Her enthusiasm mirrored that of the other residents in the room, many of whom saw this not just as a place for pets to run, but as a boost for the town’s reputation and a tangible benefit for resident mental health.

As the meeting wrapped up, the energy in the room shifted from formal presentation to collaborative momentum. The students had laid the groundwork; now the town was ready to build. Outside, the wind picked up, rustling the bare branches of the trees lining Main Street, a reminder that while the project is new, the roots of this community are deep. The sound of a few dogs barking in the distance, echoing off the valley walls, seemed almost like a cheer for the effort underway inside.