Jan 12 Council Meeting Update
Hello everyone! There is really only one item of interest on the council agenda this Tuesday, and that is the Dog Park.
You may recall that a temporary dog park was established at McVicker Park in October. It was decided that during that time frame, staff would find an alternate location for a permanent dog park so Spot and Fido could go burn off some energy instead of chewing up their owner's favorite pair of Espadrilles. (for the men out there, those are shoes)
The reason for this is the temporary location at McVicker is a baseball field, which is used by athletic leagues. Since there was great concern about having a mixed use facility, staff was directed to find an alternate facility. The baseball players didn't want to chance having to slide into "land mines" left behind, nor did the parents who take their kids there to play.
So staff identified an area in Rosetta Canyon for the dog park, which will be ready around the end of February.
The options before us are:
A) Comply with the original agreement of a 3 month trial period, which expires Januay 14, and end use of the ball field as a dog park.
B) Allow continued use until the permanent facility at Rosetta Canyon officially opens, and at that time use of the ball field as dog park.
C) Allow the ball field to remain a dog park, in addition to opening the one at Rosetta Canyon.
As an FYI, the city is responsible for the cost of maintaining any and all parks, including those for dogs.
I've already received several comments about this issue, but there's certainly room for more!
You may recall that a temporary dog park was established at McVicker Park in October. It was decided that during that time frame, staff would find an alternate location for a permanent dog park so Spot and Fido could go burn off some energy instead of chewing up their owner's favorite pair of Espadrilles. (for the men out there, those are shoes)
The reason for this is the temporary location at McVicker is a baseball field, which is used by athletic leagues. Since there was great concern about having a mixed use facility, staff was directed to find an alternate facility. The baseball players didn't want to chance having to slide into "land mines" left behind, nor did the parents who take their kids there to play.
So staff identified an area in Rosetta Canyon for the dog park, which will be ready around the end of February.
The options before us are:
A) Comply with the original agreement of a 3 month trial period, which expires Januay 14, and end use of the ball field as a dog park.
B) Allow continued use until the permanent facility at Rosetta Canyon officially opens, and at that time use of the ball field as dog park.
C) Allow the ball field to remain a dog park, in addition to opening the one at Rosetta Canyon.
As an FYI, the city is responsible for the cost of maintaining any and all parks, including those for dogs.
I've already received several comments about this issue, but there's certainly room for more!
posted by Melissa Melendez at
11:06 PM
0 Comments:
Whatever the council decides, there needs to be a permanent dog park on the north side of the city. However that can be accomplished. With the construction of new ball fields occuring, can baseball allow one field to go to the dogs, so to speak? You allow dog groups to buy permits and utilize the park on the weekends so the city has already sanctioned that particular field for mixed use outside of the designated off leash hours. A small dog area could be fenced off within, or adjacent to, the existing area. Or, as suggested in another post, reach out to the builders at the top of McVicker about including a dog park in their future plans. With dog parks going in In Rosetta Canyon and Canyon Hills, we north enders don't want to end up feeling like the red-headed step children of Lake Elsinore. Throw us a bone!
When the dog park temporarily opened at McVicker, we didn't have a bunch of whiners in the other parts of the city saying that they needed one too. If the council siad 3 months until you find a permanent park, you did what you set out to do. You found it. Great work. Now the permanent park can move forward and the temporary park can be closed. Period.
"Throw us a bone", now that's funny, good one!
I completely understand that those on the North end of town want a dog park. They are the ones who brought this idea forward in the first place after all.
However, we do have to consider the use of the field. I know that there are times when special dog events are held there, but that isn't continual use as a dog park would be.
Also, I don't know about the red-headed step child comment. Remember that the North end of town has the skate park, the concerts in the park, the Boys & Girls Club and not the new joint-use gym at Terra Cotta Middle School.
So it's a bit unfair to claim that the North end of town is left out in the cold.
We can't only consider the wants of dog owners in this particular case. We also have to consider the wants of the athletic teams who pay to use that field, and the cost to the taxpayers to maintain it. If it remains a dog park, more taxpayer money will have to be used to maintain it at a level that is suitable and acceptable to the athletic teams.
So, food for thought. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
I do want to thank everyone for giving their two cents on the issue though. Everyone needs to communicate their wishes or we'll never know how you really feel!
There are numerous fields used specifically for baseball within the area. Alberhill has several. Having a field that is not used is a waste of tax dollars. I'd rather have additional tax dollars allocated to a field that is being used constructively by law abiding residents rather than allowing that field to remain underused and exposed to vandals whose cost is much greater to the city. Only the upper field generates revenue to the city by the fees incured by the little leagers.
I didn't claim that poster 1 was whining, my claim is that posters in other sections of this blog whine about the dog park. No offense intended to you.
Our dogs are a huge part of our family and I also really like what the earlier writer said about "neighborhoodism". It's true. Having a dog park gives us all a sense of "neighborhoodism" and togetherness. It brings a positive aspect to our city and a great way for those that are alone or going through troubling times to enjoy a day with friends, family and our canine friends. Thank you so much for considering this and I can't wait to have a permanent area for us all to enjoy and look forward to visiting and meeting new residents!
What happen to having a yard for your dogs? How come all of a sudden a 'dog Park" is a needed space within the city. I have two large dogs that seem to be quite content with a daily walk and a back yard to play in, I don't get it or how having a dog park creates a social event???
I also encourage the continued use of the McVicker park for off-leash dogs. As I understand, prior to the park being designated a temporary offleash dog area, the park already allowed dogs there while on-leash, so the baseball community already shared the park with dogs. I applaud the people who have put much time and energy into this process and believe the citizens of Lake Elsinore owe a big thank you to those of you who have spear headed this effort. I have trouble seeing a down-side for anyone.
I also agree with the other posters about the dog park bringing people together. All too often we identify ourselves with our respective communities, e.g. Alberhill, La Laguna, Rosetta Canyon, Tuscany Hills etc...but not as citizens of Lake Elsinore. Baseball and other sports are great but usually confined to those people that already know each other or were previously friends. The dog park allows us to get together over a common interest that opens a dialogue amongst the residents. Also I'll bet if you looked into it, statistically you'd find that the greater number of dog parks a city has the more affluent and progressive a city is. I'd like to think that after all these years as a backwoods town we are finally moving toward that end. Keep the dog park in the lower field during the current allowable hours.
To the poster who doesn't get how a dog park becomes a social event. Come on down and get to know your neighbors and socialize your dog. You'll understand soon enough that allowing your dogs and yourself to interact with like minded individuals is great. My dogs love our backyard but they whine with excitement in the car as soon as I pull into the park anxiously waiting to meet their friends..
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