Monday, July 21, 2008
Editorial: The dog park: another chance to speak
Roanokers are getting ample opportunity to offer input. In the end, let's have a park.
From the RoundTable blog
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This is Roanoke. Residents are not easily brought to heel.
So it is OK, maybe even a good idea, to have another public meeting on a proposal to put an off-leash dog park in Roanoke's Highland Park. The city should hear any objections and possibly better suggestions before settling on a site.
But officials should recognize that for urban dog owners -- particularly of larger breeds -- leash laws create a special need. Their pets must have a place to run and play off their leads.
The city should get moving on it.
Highland Park sits amid the city's Historic Old Southwest, which presents a high hurdle for any project that might affect the character of the neighborhood. Changes readily visible to the public must pass muster with Roanoke's Architectural Review Board. But the only architectural feature of the proposed park -- a black vinyl chain-link fence -- got the ARB's OK.
The hang-up is the proposed location within the park.
When the ARB held a public hearing earlier this month, some people objected to a site near the park's stage and sledding hill. Some voiced fears of nuisances like barking or odors that would apply equally to any proposed site. Some nearby residents complained they hadn't been notified about the proposed dog park. So the ARB removed the location from the parks and rec department's application, leaving siting open for more discussion.
That was a good move. The site should be carefully considered, with plenty of public input.
Last week's meeting on the issue drew 50 people to a two-hour discussion that led ... to an agreement to have another public meeting. This one is to be preceded by direct-mail invitations from the parks department to everyone in the neighborhood, plus ads to notify the rest of the city's residents.
The parks department and ARB should go into it listening for better ideas, noting possible pitfalls to be anticipated and addressed -- remembering all the while that the dog park is an amenity the community needs.
