Thursday, October 23, 2008
Editorial: Give the dogs their day -- and their park
Roanoke City Council should affirm the ARB's decision to locate a dog park in Highland Park.
From the RoundTable blog
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Waiting on a dog park in Roanoke is like putting a bowl of food on the kitchen floor and telling an obedient dog to wait before she can chow down. She's excited, knows she is about to be rewarded, but still ...
For Roanoke dog enthusiasts there is still one last hurdle to jump before the fence can go up around their one little acre of doggie freedom at Highland Park.
They have to make it past Roanoke City Council tonight. Council shouldn't be as tough a master to tame as the Architectural Review Board was in giving its approval.
The dog park proponents have the backing of hundreds of fans who signed petitions, wrote letters and e-mails and turned out to comment at several public meetings. Some were even cat people. You don't need to live with a dog to understand the value of a city hosting a place for him to run off-lead.
Which doesn't mean everyone is jumping in excitement. A few folks who live near Highland Park have worried that dog owners would crowd out parking spots. But even some of them admitted they like the idea of the park, and they aren't unhappy with the fence type the ARB approved.
Still, not everyone is pleased, including Douglas F. Turner, who petitioned city council to overturn the ARB rulings.
Council should politely listen tonight to what Turner has to say -- and any others who turn out for the meeting. Then, council should affirm the ARB's decision.
Putting a dog park in Highland Park wasn't a rash move. The site was selected after careful consideration by the city's Parks and Recreation Department after a group of Roanokers said they wanted a dog park so much they were willing to raise the money to pay for the fence. Plenty of opportunity was afforded the public and Old Southwest residents to comment.
Turner's appeal is a matter of process and is not unexpected.
No project in Roanoke, no matter how well thought-out and discussed, goes off without someone nipping at its heels.
