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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHandout, Dog park at Tantra Froms Diane Main <diane.main@excite com> To: <overbeck@psych colorado edu> ~, Date: 2/28/00 3 23pm Subj~ct: Dog park at Tantra Note The following is a copy of a message sent to the Parks & Recreation Superintendent on Sunday Feb 27th Although I do not know if it is proper to contact the members of the Advisory Board directly, I felt it was important enough to try 2 will be at the meeting tonight and hope you will consider our concerns Thank you, Diane Main I am a homeowner in the South Creek Seven neighborhood, bordering Tantra Park I have 7ust learned this weekend of the proposal to put a fenced dog park directly behind my property in the park I have seen the proposal information, the diagram, and have now done as much research as possible on dog parks including potential problems I am OPPOSED to the current proposal for a dog park in Tantra Park First I must say that I am angry that the city would vote on something that has such a direct impact on a neighborhood without making a reasonable effort to inform the residents I have spoken to more than 20 people bordering the park on both sides and no one was aware of the possibility of a dog park being put in Tantra other than through one mid-week newspaper article. NO ONE received formal notice as a resident of the bordering ~'^* neighborhood, not even our homeowner's association i..r As for the dog park itself, I believe that the dog park being proposed for this particular location would be a huge disadvantage to our neighborhood for the following reasons 1 The proposed dog park would be an incredible eyesore for people whose properties border the park on HOTH sides If you have even seen this park, you should realize that it is one of the main reasons people choose to live and stay in this neighborhood That park is an extension of our own "yards" in a visual and recreational sense 2 The potential noise from increased use of this part of the park could be unnerving to nearby residents The proposal indicates that the park would only be 100 to 150 feet away from our private properties As it is, I can hear normal conversations on the opposite hilltop due to the echo in this concave area of the park. I assure you I am not exaggerating I would not appreciate having to listen to potentially several dogs barking in a limited area directly behind my house 3 Although there will be people who do not clean up after their dogs whether a dog park exis[s here or not, the potential smell from a confined area could become a ma7or problem, especially if the waste receptacles are not emptied regularly. Wildlife and pets that can get into the area would be much more likely to spread disease than they are now 4 This park is already well-used by dog owners as well as children and adults for various activities. An enclosed area of an acre in size would ~'"""` drastically change the nature of the park Worse, there is no guarantee that ~rr..~ dog owners would even use the dog park as opposed to the full park In that case, the city would have spent $13,000 on a fence and ruined the view of ,,,, the bordering houses for no reason. 5 Enforcement of leash laws outside of the dog enclosure are likely to be a failure even if }ncreased. My research indicated that forcing dog owners to use a confined area in a multi-puxpose park often caused overcrowding in the dog park. That makes the noise worse as dog fights (and owner fights) are more likely to occur It also ruins the landscape inside the enclosure due to more holes dug, wear on grassy areas, urine burns on the ground, and increased mud puddles. 6 My research shows that some cities who implemented dog parks had increased traffic to the public parks where they were created. In our case, only street parking would be available. Parking for residents of this neighborhood includes shared driveways and street parking already South Creek Seven shares the street parking with residents of Tantra Lake Apartments and South Creek Townhomes, and space is often scarce. Increased use of Tantra Park could only increase traffic and parking problems in an already crowded neighborhood 7 I believe the potential increased abuse of Tantra Park and/or the dog park would increase Studies from other dog parks indicated that "dog owners from outside the neighborhood who frequently use the dog run have left the run and not picked up after their dogs, have allowed their dogs to dig holes in the run, have brought unruly and unsociable dogs into the run, and have brought bitches in heat into the run". Such a situation would be intolerable in the middle of a heavily populated neighborhood area ""~' S A greater risk of in7ury to people and dogs using the dog run exists Too 'vw/ many animals and people in a confined space can only mean trouble if a fight breaks out Right now, dog owners are able to stay a safe and tolerant distance from each other in the full area of Tantra Park 9 Increased litter in the park is a serious potential problem 10 Although remote, there is the possibility that a large dog could 7ump a 4-foot fence 2 have seen dogs do this, and I would be hesitant to give people in the park or nearby a false sense of security. 11 For all of the above reasons, I truly believe this dog park would have a negativ+e affect on property values of homeowners bordering the park Equally bad, the problems associated with the dog park could cause more people to move out of the neighborhood, be forced to rent rather than sell their properties, or not be able to rent or sell at all. Most of these problems are directly related to having a dog park in a residential area where neighboring homeowners, other public park users, and other neighborhood pets are more likely to be affected I am not opposed to the other two proposed locations for dog parks, as these do not appear to be nearly as close to residents as we are to Tantra Park. I would support the establishment of dog parks in those areas, but I DO NOT SUPPORT THE TANTRA PARK DOG RUN. In a final effort to convince you that we, as a neighborhood, do NOT want a dog run in Tantra Park, let me tell you this. I would be willing to bet that most current dog owners in the neighborhood and/including dog owners who ~' already use Tantra Park would not support this dog run. Although dogs are 'W..~ required to be leashed in the park as it is, this is not enforced nor to my knowledge is it contested by the neighborhood Dog owners have full use of ~ the park right now. Why would they want their use to be limited, or even the park to be divided~ I personally believe, and would support, Tantra as a no-leash park would be 1,000 times better than the current proposal. That, at least, would be no more than the status quo PLEASE reconsider your recommendation regarding Tantra Park as a potential dog park site. This neighborhood does not want or need a dog run in this location Sincerely, Diane and Todd Main 4760 W Moorhead Circle Boulder, CO 60303 (303) 543 2196 diane.main@excite com Get 1008 FREE Internet Access powered by Excite Visit http://freeworld excite.com ^~' CG qas12@7uno com> ~r.r ~~,"" ~~r/