HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Dog Park Committee - 02/13/2008 (2) DOG PARK COMMITTEE
MINUTES
02-13-08
The second meeting of the newly appointed Dog Park Committee was held on
Wednesday evening, February 13 at 6:30pm in the small conference room of the
Municipal Office Building.
Members Present: Lisa Ventriss, Claire Williams, Lori Valburn, Howard Goldberg
Also Present: Steve Magowan, City Councilor; Tom Hubbard, Recreation Director;
Chuck Brodsky, Guest; Sarah Fuller, Guest
As Councilman Magowan was not able to attend the first meeting, introductions were
made and Tom asked Steve to inform the committee as to proper protocols:
The committee is a public committee appointed by City Council; essentially an extended
arm of Council; committee should establish a set schedule of meetings; all meetings are
open to the public; official minutes must be published and kept on file; committee will
select officer positions; committee will make periodic presentations to the City Council.
It was further pointed out that Tom will serve as the City administrative representative to
the committee, and the Recreation Department will provide administrative support
services on behalf of the committee. Steve indicated that he'd volunteered to be a
member of the committee and will attend meetings whenever possible to provide input
and guidance.
Steve continued to work with the committee to develop a"scope of work". In essence,
the Council is looking for a proposal for the creation of a dog park. Defining what would
be included in an ideal dog park, and then identifying a realistic version of that, might be
a good place to start. Along with the criteria for a dog park, location, cost, and
governance are also key elements, as defined in the charge from Council. Steve was clear
that there is no specific money budgeted for this and urged the committee to proceed
prudently in terms of what is eventually presented. It is possible that the consideration of
recreation impact fees may be used; much will depend on ultimate cost. The committee
spent a good deal of discussion helping to define and clarify the scope of work and an
outline for the general scope of work will be prepared and distributed to members for
review. Several different phases of work were identified. Steve suggested that the
committee prepare an initial presentation for the City Council at its first meeting in June.
Tom compiled a list of questions generated by members to be considered for use as a
brief survey to dog owners as they visit the City Clerk's office to obtain a dog license.
While all questions are pertinent, Tom will take the list and generate 5-7 questions that
would be appropriate at this phase and distribute them to the committee for comments
and approval. The goal is to have something ready for the City Clerk within the next few
weeks.
Tom will also distribute a map and list of current city-owned properties,to assist with
determining possible locations for a dog park. Other properties may be considered as
well, depending on cost and appropriateness of the site. Tom will schedule a group visit
to Red Rocks, and to the covered landfill in the near future.
General information-the Starr Farm Dog Park was built at a cost of$5300, an additional
$10,000 was spent on a gravel parking lot by a private contractor. This site is a little over
2 acres in size.
The City Clerk registered 842 dogs in 2006, and 854 dogs in 2007.
Officers were nominated and one ballot was cast for the slate of officers which passed
unanimously electing Lisa Ventriss as Chair, Jaime Heins as Vice Chair, and Joan Jarvis
as Clerk.
The next meeting of the Dog Park Committee will be held on Wednesday evening, March
12 at 6:30pm in the small conference room of the Municipal Office Building.
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Hubbard
Recreation Director