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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Dog Park Committee - 05/08/2008 - Notes from Public Meeting NOTES FROM PUBLIC MEETING May 8, 2008 Chair of the Dog Park Committee, Lisa Ventriss, and Steve Magowan of the City Council welcomed people and thanked them for their interest. Steve gave some background on what led the Council to appoint an official Dog Park Committee, and both Steve and Lisa reviewed parts of the official "charge" of the committee. Lisa gave an overview on what the committee has been working on to date, much of the information posted on storyboards in the front of the room, and explained the purpose of the community meeting-to seek input from the public. Basic standards were discussed, and five areas of importance were identified: Financing, Location& Site Selection,Needs vs. Wants, Park Rules & Guidelines, and Operations/Maintenance. Committee member Lori Valburn facilitated the Financing discussion with ideas summarized as follows: -general maintenance services would be provided by the City -the idea of offering memberships was raised and having separate resident and non-resident fees -explore possible donations from pet-centric businesses as corporate sponsors -charge fees for use of the park, but how could this be done logistically? -increase dog license fees to include use of dog park Burlington fees are much higher -have fines for folks who don't clean up after their dog or other violations '--.., -sponsor fundraising activities or events at the park, dog obedience classes, agility events, etc. -establish a"friends of the dog park"to assist with fundraising Committee member Joan Jarvis facilitated the Location/Site Selection discussion: Red Rocks - should be maintained for wildlife - priority should be for people to enjoy Red Rocks, not dogs - lot of wildlife-supposed to be a natural area - parking not the best, entry for off-season needs consideration - closed in the winter-would need to be plowed, and other logistics - dog park might encourage even more (loose) dogs on the trails - would having a dog park there discourage people from walking on the paths? - there is much abuse by dog owners now with off-leash dogs, would dog park there help? Dorset Park - area resident would like to have something nearby - provides a centralized location - already has lots of dogs-would be nice to have enclosed area - very large area - permission for use could be difficult as it is considered an open space area - potential of police station at this site is unknown at this time, would need approval Butler Farms - would residents of Butler Farms object? - off-road parking would be essential - close proximity to housing and busy road Landfill - many great attributes- has parking, water, space, no neighbors - biggest downside-planes/noise, fear factor - many residents live near airport now with dogs - close proximity to current dog park on Patchen Rd. - possibly post a sign warning users about noise from jets South Village Lisa explained that developer David Schueur was interested in building a dog park on the South Village site, and turning it over to the City. The potential site is near the Shelburne Town line off Spear Street. The South Village build-out will be the largest development in the City. Technology Park Area is currently used by dog walkers. Land is owned privately as commercial property, and further development of buildings is planned. Not sure if owner would be receptive to dog park. Committee member Jaime Heins facilitated the discussion on Needs vs. Wants: Amenities-many required as current"standard for dog park" Fence- heavy duty wire used at Starr Farm, cost is much higher for chain link Fencing 5-6' rather than 4' at Starr Farm Double gate A good sized run area Good grass turf, kept mowed,there is now even artificial grass in the "Gucci Parks" Agility area Small dog area Benches Possible shade &trees, landscaping Paths for off leash walking Storage Shed for maintenance supplies Port-o-let not necessary, more for abuse factor and people would not use Bulletin Board for announcements &notices Committee member Howard Goldberg facilitated the discussion on Guidelines/Rules, and his research indicated some of the following rules...in addition to comments from others in attendance: Dogs under a certain age not allowed Children under a certain age not allowed No food- human food, dog food Children can't play in park No dogs on leash in park No grooming No glass containers No dogs in heat Flours of operation? Open sunrise to sunset? Current on vaccinations Dog owners must be in the park Dogs must be under voice control Clean up after dog & fill holes that are dug Owners must have leash with them Dogs needing to be leashed at all times should not be in park Maximum number of dogs (2)?per person No aggressive dogs Dogs must be registered Other discussion included how would rules be enforced? How do you determine what is an aggressive dog? Would people self-police? Would there be policing authority for volunteers with official uniform&training? Committee member Claire Williams facilitated the discussion on Operations/Maintenance: '� City would provide general maintenance Training session for volunteers Bags for waste easily accessible Would volunteers bring water or owners bring own water if water source not available? Possible future dog park committee or"Friends Group"to support on-going maintenance and oversight Volunteers would be assigned days to open&close park, have relationship with City,make sure supplies are stocked, maintain a locked shed. Lisa, on behalf of the Dog Park Committee,thanked everyone for attending and offering their valuable input, and encouraged folks to attend the presentation to City Council on Monday, June 16, at 7 pm at the Municipal Office Building.