Firstly I want to acknowledge appreciation for everyone who was able to make it to the Parks and Recreation meeting last Monday, April 16, both those in favor and opposed to amending the off-leash hours at Vetter Park. For those of you who were unable to attend or who had to leave early, I wanted to summarize what took place as unbiased as possible. The room was full with people who wanted voice their concerns and opinions. The meeting brought the community together for a calm discussion where we could hear the many sides of the arguments. This in itself is something to be celebrated.
Two issues were discussed: 1) Should there be a fenced dog park somewhere in Coronado Village and 2) Should off-leash hours be allowed at Vetter Park and/or other parks in Coronado Village. These two issues were somewhat lumped together, but ultimately two votes were made.
Meeting Summary:
At the start, Jeff Alison, was unclear and confused about how to delineate between fenced dog parks and unfenced off-leash hours that was being proposed. Linda Rahn had to clarify the agenda items as well as the intention of the meeting a couple of times before the public was heard.
Approximately 30 people stood up to give their opinions about both issues. Some people strongly opposed a fenced park, but would like off leash hours at multiple parks. Some people want just a fenced park. Even some who opposed off leash hours in Vetter were open to a fenced park or off leash hours at multiple parks. There were many different variations of how people felt on the issues. Although some people are opposed to any type of fenced/unfenced dog park, the overwhelming majority wanted some resolution for the lack of a place for dogs to run in Coronado Village.
After the public gave their 3 minute statements each, the council members discussed what they had heard. Initially it started as saying things such as “this is clearly a passionate issue and we obviously need a place for the dogs to run” and “this is a very polarized issue where half of you will be upset either way.” The Head of the Council, Jeff Alison, said he favored having a fenced dog park adjacent to dog beach.
When the idea of having to do some research into what other parks could be available to have off leash hours at, it was clear that the council members did not feel it was their responsibility to do such research or lead an activity to conduct an assessment of sorts to identify suitable locations for either fenced or off-leash hours at specific parks.
Then they asked the police chief to answer some questions. He stated that prior to a month ago, they have very few, if any issues with dogs being the reason for a call to the police (when dogs were running off leash at Vetter).
After briefly discussing what they had heard from the public Jeff Alison, asked the other council members how they feel about the issues. At this point, they seemed to forget the 30 opinions that had expressed their interest in SOME solution for dogs to be able to run free in Coronado (outside of dog beach) and just talked about their own specific feelings toward dogs and parks.
The Decision:
Finally, as it was getting late in the evening (6pm), and the council wanted to make a decision, one councilman, Scott Chasin, suggested we keep things the “status quo.” He stated that the police said there have been no issues, thus we shouldn’t make any changes. Then a motion was made to not present the concept of a fenced park to city council. Mr. Chasin, Mr. Alison, and Mr. Little agreed, Ms. Kathy Nichols and Ms. Kari McPherson opposed. Then when asked if off-leash hours should be amended to Vetter Park and or other parks, again it was suggested to keep things the “status quo.” The same voting took place with the same outcome.
Moving Forward:
Personally, I am positive that this is just the beginning of what may be a long process, but one that ultimately will end with a place for our dogs to run. The number of people who showed up last Monday certainly demonstrates that this issue can’t just be tabled and ignored. I plan to continue working with the community to find a solution that satisfies the majority.
As of Wednesday this past week, the giant LED sign at Vetter Park has been removed and it seems as though this past week was spent trying to re-create ‘status quo.’
Is the Parks and Recreation Commission willing to accept any responsibility to champion facilitating dialog among our community to help co-create a sustainable solution for both pet-owners and non-pet-owners? If not, it will fall in the hands of community members to coordinate efforts to bring people together and present a viable set of options to Parks and Recreation.
For any further thoughts, please comment below to contribute to the conversation.
Photo credit: Lorraine Hermann (off-leash dogs having fun at ‘dog beach’)
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