Dog Park Info

By RYAN DEZEMBER

Faced with a tight budget, municipal officials have undertaken an effort to raise $25,000 to build a dog park at the city’s Waterfront Park.

On Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to give about an acre at the Canal Road park to the dogs, or at least their owners. The site lies north of the Kids Park, and southeast of the munici pal fishing pier.

Elected officials have long talked about building a place where residents and tourists can unleash their hounds, but the stagnant real estate and development market, from which Orange Beach derives much of its revenue, has put pet projects like the dog park on hold.

Rather than forget about a dog park, however, city officials figured that they could raise the estimated $25,000 to build the park through donations and fundraisers, City Administrator Ken Grimes said.

Last weekend, the fundraising got under way with a dog wash in the parking lot of a local shopping center. The event raised several hundred dollars, said Councilwoman Tracy Holiday, the council’s top proponent of pooches.

Added to some recent donations, Holiday said about $1,000 has been raised.

Once the $25,000 mark is reached, construction would begin on the park, Grimes said. The major expense will be the fencing to enclose the park. Early designs show the enclosed area in the shape of a dog bone, with the alternate design being sort of amoebae-shaped, said Parks and Recreation Director Preston Pooser.

Besides fencing, money is needed to pay for drinking fountains, lights, benches, parking spaces and a few other small amenities, Holiday and Pooser said.

Municipal workers will clear underbrush and prune trees on the property, but that’s about all that will happen until enough money is raised to buy the fencing, Pooser said.

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By BILL KISLIUK

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Dog Park: The Canton Dog Park holds its clean-up on the first Saturday of every month, 10 a.m.-noon. The next clear-up will be held on July 5.
The Canton Dog Park public meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at the Canton Cove Condos Conference Room, 2901 Boston Street, 7 p.m. The next meeting will be on July 8. The dog park is always in need of donations of plastic bags (the kind newspapers or groceries come in) that can be used for clean-up. Please place bags in the receptacle on the small dog side of the park. Info: 410-342-0900 (24-hour voice mail), dogpark@cantoncommunity.org.

By Michael McDermott

Last year, Augusta had a Bark in the Park event for dog lovers. This year the community may get a Dog Park.
City Park Board members explored a dog park proposal Monday night with two promoters for such an area.
Brenda Moore and Susie Ingold spoke to the board about canine waste removal, barking, park monitoring, confrontation, and dog obedience issues.
The Augusta City Council will have final action on whatever is recommended.
The women were encouraged to provide some information about organizing a local pet lovers organization as well as financing for park startup and the future.
During a petition signing  effort at last month’s Grasshopper Festival, Moore received 100-plus signatures in support of such a facility.
At that festival, the proposed site was on the south side of Shryock Park on Augusta City Lake.
Monday night, there was discussion about possibly establishing the dog park in the former Meadowview Acres area in northwest Augusta. This area was in the 1998 flood zone and water-damaged homes there were removed through a federal buyout program.
“There are lots of pet lovers in Augusta,” said Moore, “who have asked why Augusta doesn’t have such a park and there are many who want to get involved.
“I was holding off on the park until I got your feelings about the project,” she added.
Board Member Steve Gillies said the canine park idea makes sense, but he wants “a deeper look” at the concept.
Board Member Mike Huddleston suggested a non-profit organization be set up. He would like to see information on possible monetary pledges.
Board Member Kevin Visor said he too is interested in the concept and thinks it might be “a service to the community.”
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BY EMILIA ASKARI

Forget about letting pooches romp in an existing park in any of Birmingham’s residential neighborhoods. Homeowners have snarled, so it’s not going to happen, city officials conceded last week.

Instead, they’re throwing a bone to the city’s dogs and their owners by proposing a dog park in the city’s industrial rail district.

“Whatever we can get is better than nothing,” Mort Finkel, a high school counselor and longtime supporter of a Birmingham dog park, said Monday. “If it’s a suitable sized piece of property, I’d be in favor of it. Obviously, we’re trying to reduce the amount of animosity” between dog owners and their neighbors.

Earlier this year, officials floated the idea of opening a dog run in one of five existing parks or nearby pieces of public land. But neighbors howled that a dog park down the block would bring traffic, noise, smells and lower property values. So the city backed off.

Where to put a dog park has been a controversial issue in Birmingham for at least four years.

For several years, the city had a fenced dog run in a portion of Springdale Park. Neighbors in adjacent Bloomfield Hills sued the city, saying the dog run violated old deed restrictions. The case went to the state Supreme Court and last year it sided with the neighbors, forcing the city to close the dog run.

So far, no one has voiced any opposition to the idea of putting the dog park in the rail district, east of Woodward, near the city’s tennis courts and ice skating rink.

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By Julian J. Ramos

Buellton City Council approval of a a three-year agreement with PAWS Parks of the Santa Ynez Valley Inc. to develop, operate and maintain an off-leash dog park at the yet to be developed 3.33-acre Sharon Place Park at La Pita Place and Dawn Drive drew cheers and applause from a dozen or so park supporters at Thursday’s meeting.

Under the agreement, the city will grant no more than $60,900 to the group along with plans and specifications for improvements to the park grounds. A conceptual park plan features fenced areas for medium and large breeds, 0.8 acres, and small breeds, 0.4 acres.

The agreement also includes indemnity between the city and the group. The property will continue to be owned by the city and will be covered under the city’s insurance policy.

The vote was 4-0 with Mayor Russ Hicks, Mayor Pro Tem Dales Molesworth, Councilwoman Diane Whitehair and Councilman Ed Andrisek in favor. Councilwoman Victoria Pointer was absent.

In a separate matter, the council recognized Don Kircher, who is retiring effective June 30 after more than 15 years as City Attorney.

Addressing the council and staff, Kircher said he takes pride in the growth of the city and commended the staff as “exceptional.”

Hicks said “the city owes a great debt of gratitude” to Kircher and also thanked him personally for his advice throughout the years. Hicks presented Kircher with a desk clock, Buellton hat and T-shirt, a key to the city pin, an honorary citizen certificate and a framed city staff photo.

Whitehair said the city has been “blessed” under his guidance and direction and the city has prospered.

Ralph Hanson of Burke, Williams & Sorensen, who has served as assistant City Attorney when Kircher has been absent, was appointed his successor.

In other action, the council:

n Approved, 4-0, a $10.2 million budget for fiscal year 2008-09. Total city expenditures are estimated at $10,212,275. Total revenues, general fund and special revenues (such as gas tax fund, Measure D fund, redevelopment fund among others) are estimated at $7,656,317.

Although budgeted expenditures exceed projected revenues, there is enough money in reserves to cover the gap.

The budget is $1,146,333 or 10.1 percent lower than last year’s $11.3 budget.
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By P.J. LASSEK

Tulsa is getting its first off-leash dog park and may end up with a total of three such parks throughout the city.

The Park and Recreation Board on Tuesday approved converting a city-owned, unused, fenced baseball field located just west of Newblock Park on the north side of Charles Page Boulevard into a dog park.

“The creation of off-leash dog parks is almost certainly the most significant change which has occurred in public parks in North America during the past decade,” Herb Beattie, chairman of a city dog-park task force, told the board.

Beattie said that he hopes to have the park in operation by the end of next week, with two areas to segregate large and small dogs and with access to water.

If that doesn’t happen, he said, the park will be open by the end of the month.

Oklahoma City has had an off-leash dog park for a little more than a year on the southeast side of Lake Hefner and “it is very successful and very busy,” said Scott Copelin, Oklahoma City park planner.

Susan Neal, who sits on the park board for Mayor Kathy Taylor, said the recommendation from the task force is reasonable and will “meet the growing interest in the community.”

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By Eleanor Evans

Fido and Rover may have a new place to run and play by the end of the year.

The Bentonville Bark Park has raised enough money for construction of a fence around the site for the park located near the North Bentonville Trail off North Walton Boulevard.

The city’s Bark Park Committee put together a number of fundraisers to help construct the park - most notably the Bentonville Dog Walk, which brought in hundreds of pooches and their owners for contests and fun and frolicking.

“The dog walk was a huge success. We generated enough interest to raise the money needed to install the fencing, which means we should be able to open the park this year,” Bark Park Committee representative Jean Henderson said.

The park started as a project by Melissa Schube, who is working on her Girl Scout Gold Award. If Schube completes 70 hours on the project, she will earn the award - the Girl Scout equivalent of an Eagle Scout award.

But the first phase of the project must be completed by the end of the year in order for her to earn the award.

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by Michael Wilcox

For Mendota Heights residents looking to exercise their dogs, Marie Park probably won’t be the answer.

Neighborhood growling
Some residents near Marie Park complained that when people let their dogs run loose in the hockey rink, some animals couldn’t resist exploring beyond the fence.
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Your pooch will no longer need a pass to romp in Mecklenburg County’s four dog parks.

Since 2002, thousands of dog owners have paid $35 a year to let their best friends play in area dog parks. In order to get the pooch pass, dog owners would have to show proof their pup was up-to-date on all their shots, but that’s all about to change.

Beginning Tuesday, the dog parks will be available for everyone without charge or membership requirements, a change more than a year in the making.
 

“We looked at what other park systems around the country were doing,” said park and recreation department spokesman Mike Cozza. “They’re not charging a fee and we decided if they can do it, we can do it.”
All dogs must still have current rabies vaccinations and licenses, according to city and county ordinances and state laws. But since no one will be checking records, some wonder how safe the parks will be.

“What if an unvaccinated dog for rabies bites a person?” asked Dr. Leland McLaughlin, of Freedom Animal Hospital. “That’s going to become another concern and that would be my biggest concern because that person would have to go to the hospital and possibly receive rabies shots.”

Cozza says some people have said they like the control of a pooch pass because it’s like an exclusive membership that you have to pay for.
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