Proposed dog park location may be unveiled by March 28
Committee to notify nearby residents
The proposed location for a new dog park could be announced before the end of the month.
The dog park committee has looked at properties throughout the city and narrowed it down to four city-owned areas, councilwoman and dog park committee chair Sue Henderson said.
After the group decides on a parcel of land, they will notify all city residents living in a 200-foot radius of the property, Henderson said. The committee will then hold a public meeting, open to the proposed park’s nearby residents and the general public.
The park cannot be established without a vote from the city council.
A landscape architect will create renderings and drawings of the proposed park, Henderson said. Those renderings will be presented at the public meeting. The committee will also present a budget with suggested means of fundraising.
The group hopes to publicize the meeting so that all city residents are aware of what’s going on, Henderson said. They will also put together a website so residents can check their progress.
The target date for the public meeting is March 28, but the committee will hold one more meeting beforehand to “really nail down some of the specifics,” Henderson said.
“We’re moving forward very quickly, but we’re doing it in a very careful way,” Henderson said. “This time, we’re not going to make the same mistakes.”
Last year, Henderson and others tried to institute a dog park at Library Square Park. A dog park pilot program was instituted through resolution in June 2012. The park instantly became a hot-button issue with residents coming to every council meeting to voice support of and opposition to a dog park in Library Square Park.
The city council rescinded the dog park resolution on Aug. 1 due to the public outcry.
The first dog park plan was formed by a committee made up of city manager Terence Reidy, Henderson, city resident Rachel Hirschfeld, local business owner Debbie DeLisa and Shade Tree Commission member Tom Pivinski.
The new eight-member dog park committee was formed after the council rescinded the original dog park resolution. They met for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. Committee members include Reidy, Tom Pivinski, Werner Baumgartner, Paulette Fant, Gail Finowitz, Gene Mignola, Leslie Ferrier, Debbie Delisa and Councilwoman Sue Henderson.
