Tuesday, June 10, 2014

No definitive answer on Dog Park status - staff requested to again look at options on park.


At Monday nights Dunwoody City Council meeting there were numerous important items on the agenda to discuss but the room was filled primarily with supporters from the dog park.  Public comment was lively with several speakers including a Boy Scout asking that it not be moved.   I have been working for a compromise to keep the dog park in place and I believe the Dog Park Association submitted a great stating point in their proposal which is shown below.  If in the end, a compromise is reached where no one is completely happy with the final result, but the park can stay in the same general area; I believe it will be a win / win for the community.

Having been involved with the dog park issue for quite some time, I decided that my public statement should not be focused on the misdirected funds, the flawed bid process or the proposal being offered by staff; instead I went with the feelings and emotions of joy I witness by those who use the park on a regular basis.   It is my belief that if the dog park was moved to an inferior location that the community that has formed there would no longer exist.

What is the Brook Run Dog Park and why it is so special?

About ten years ago, a group of like-minded volunteers gathered together with a purpose of having a special place of their own. Much like the current City of Dunwoody, they worked the political system; they set up a non-profit organization, staked out boundaries and toiled for many hours to put into place what is now an extraordinary social center for man and beast alike.

The Brook Run Dog Park is primarily a playground for pets, but more importantly, it is a social center for people and I disagree with the plan for moving it because in doing so I believe it will kill that community.

The current dog park is shaded and cool which allows friendships time to flourish. It has a gravel-walking path, which allows exercise for animals and owners alike.

This is not a dog park, it is a people park, it is a social center, a senior center, and has been the birthplace of many marriages. The new location will not have the same amenities (namely the shade), therefore for it will not have the same draw; and the community will no longer flourish as it currently does.

In December, the Brook Run Dog Park Association put forward a compromise plan, which I believe has merit both in cost and in total scope as being the best plan to move forward to keep this community together, lower the noise and mitigate any supposed environmental damages.

I will be voting against moving the dog park and recommend that we revisit the plan presented by the Dog Park Association as it has a lower overall cost but more importantly I believe it is the right thing to do.  I am here to build communities – not kill them.

John Heneghan
Dunwoody City Council

http://jkheneghan.com/city/meetings/2013/Dec/BRDPA_Presentation_12-2-13_FINAL.pdf

Proposal Highlights
Redesign of Dog Park (shift it away from Lakeview Oaks / expand forward)
Planting Leyland Cypress & Holly to block views, install EverQuiet Wall
Increase front end of park to be used for small dogs, less congestion, less noise.
Regrade sloping areas with timbers to slow water, Aeration, Deep Root Fertilizing
Mulch trees with wood chips, add irrigation to new plantings,
Water Runoff improvement efforts based on terracing, slowing and directing water.
No park rotation of facilities as no growing ground cover intended.
Little immediate ADA improvements.
City of Dunwoody requested to pay for all improvements.

 Neighbors Concerns

Video of Dec 2nd Meeting

The meeting requested by the BRDPA took place on Mon Dec 2nd at 4 pm at the office of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and lasted close to two hours.  Video was shot but the resolution was set very high therefore conversion and posting will be done as time permits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ASmxg_1eVo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYAsUtwcNis

1 comment:

jazzlover said...

Thank you so much for your support!! We have worked so hard to find a solution. You obviously understand how much more there is to the Brook Run Dog Park than just an area for dogs to be off leash. My closest friendships have been forged at this dog park--I recently met one of my friends there without my dogs so we could visit & walk for exercise. She had her dogs with her; this gave us the opportunity to meet three goals at the same time: visit & catch up, exercise for me, & exercise for her dogs. Thank you again!!