BUCHANAN — Two issues related to the city’s dog park project remained unresolved after Monday night’s Buchanan City Commission meeting.

Meanwhile, commissioners acted on a number of infrastructure improvement items.

A majority of commissioners voted down a proposal from the dog park committee to repay the city for the purchase of a lot on Victory Street that ended up not being used as the dog park site. No action was taken on the second issue of whether or not the dog park should be located in the McCoy Creek Recreational Area.

Commissioner Dan Vigansky brought up both dog park issues at the commission’s Dec. 11 meeting. He asked whether the city would be repaid for buying the Victory Street lot, which ended up not being used for the dog park, and then questioned using the recreational area for the park due to its proximity to city water wells.

Vigansky noted Monday that he is not “anti-dog” but he has been concerned about how the dog park situation has been handled. Information provided by dog park chairman Jackie Lowe Monday night was the most he said the commission has gotten in years about the project.

Lowe proposed that the dog park committee put the Victory Street property up for sale and pay back the $2,800 the city spent to buy the lot over 18 months. She also defended using the recreational area site for the dog park, saying that it is far enough away from water wells to not affect the water source.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to not accept Lowe’s proposal on the Victory Street lot. Mayor Brenda Hess, Vigansky and commissioner Dale Toerne voted to not accept the proposal while commissioners Carla Cole and Patricia Moore voted to accept it.

“I’m voting no,” Toerne said. “This is taxpayer money and they want to pay it back interest free over 18 months. Eighteen months of not being repaid is outrageous.”

Commissioners did not vote on moving the dog park out of the recreational area. Hess said after the meeting that she expects a new repayment proposal for the Victory Street lot to come back to the commission in the future.

As for the dog park itself, Moore and Lowe said everything is in place for the dog park to open at the recreational area site over Memorial Day weekend. Lowe said all but 50 to 60 feet of the needed fencing has been donated and the committee has enough money to pay for the rest.

In other action, the commission approved hiring Gosling Czubak Engineering Sciences to start work on sewage treatment plant improvements with the construction of a new oxidation ditch. City staff told commissioners that they plan to bid out the improvement work in a piecemeal process to save money over the long term.

The commission amended the major streets fund budget to make way for improvements to the traffic lights at Red Bud Trail and River Street. The city has received a $203,200 federal grant and will match it with $104,200 in local funds.

The intersection will be the third in the city to get new LED traffic lights. The other two are the Front and Red Bud and Front and Skyline intersections. The Red Bud/River Street project will also include sidewalk and pavement improvements.