The most important word issued during Monday’s Town of Osoyoos council dog park-minor baseball facility debate was ‘compromise.’

Mayor Sue McKortoff, who almost always comes across as the voice of reason when it comes to contentious issues in this community, told those gathered in council chambers and others watching on their computers that she and members of council can’t please all of the people all of the time when it comes to important decisions.

“In many cases, we have to try and … compromise,” she said.

And that’s exactly what council did when they voted in favour of a motion to repurpose the existing Osoyoos Off-Leash Dog Park into a minor baseball facility.

While doing this, they also voted in favour of building a new dog park literally a stones-throw away at the old Osoyoos BMX track, that now sits as a tangled mess of weeds, but can, according to senior staff, be cleaned up rather quickly and turned into a beautiful new dog park close to its old home.

Council also voted in favour of a motion to discuss the possibility of opening a second off-leash dog park on the east side of town at Kinsmen Park. Those discussions will take place during upcoming 2018 budget deliberations.

In July, leaders of the Osoyoos Minor Baseball Association appeared before council asking them to repurpose the current dog park back to its original use as a minor baseball facility.

A community petition supported by dog lovers attracted strong response asking council to keep the dog park where it is, stating the park has been a huge hit and heavily used from the day it opened more than five years ago in 2012.

As McKortoff and Coun. C. J. Rhodes noted at the public meeting, there has not been a more polarizing or contentious issue for local residents since this current council was elected three years ago.

McKortoff said she’s never received more phone calls or e-mails from local residents over any issue since being elected as mayor in November of 2014.

Rhodes said he’s also received dozens of phone call and e-mails relating to this issue.

After reading a detailed staff report from Gerald Davis, the Town’s director of community services, it’s clear there is a need for a quality dog park in Osoyoos.

It’s equally clear there has been a tremendous surge in the popularity of minor baseball and that’s only going to increase with the growing number of young families coming to town and registration numbers with the Osoyoos Minor Baseball Association continuing to rise.

At the end of the day, council showed great leadership in coming to the decision it did.

Minor baseball is going to have a fantastic new home for generations to come in a location which was originally designed to be a minor baseball facility.

Dog owners who love the current dog park might not be thrilled, but the new park is going to be located very close by.

As Rhodes commented, it would be a very good idea for a coalition of community members to rally and work together to ensure the new dog park at the old BMX site matches or surpasses the current one.

None of the details about how this coalition would be formed or operate was divulged at Monday’s meeting, but when you consider Rhodes played a key role in getting an off-leash park opened at its  current location, there’s little doubt he would be involved.

While final costs also haven’t been revealed, it appears the pricetag to repurpose the dog park into a minor baseball facility aren’t going to be overly extravagant.

Davis said it would cost roughly $17,000 to purchase the shale needed for the ball diamond.

There will also be a need for new fencing at both the ball diamond and new dog park, but the costs shouldn’t be significant.

When you consider the benefits of a minor baseball facility that will be able to attract tournaments and having a new dog park located so close to the current one, the money being talked about for both to happen isn’t outrageous.

Having a second off-leash park at Kinsmen Park will also strongly be considered by council and delaying the final decision until budget deliberations will allow them to fully weigh the pros and cons involved with that location.

Considering how controversial this issue had become, kudos to council on a job well done.

After all of the acrimony, social media comments and uncalled for insults on both sides of this debate, council has come up with an affordable plan everyone should be able to live with. Minor baseball players and their parents and coaches, dog lovers, dogs and members of council were all winners with this decision.