|
|
|
Articles
|
| Dog park advocates praise new DPR regulations |
VOICE writes, "Dog park advocates praise new DPR regulations
BY KATIE PEARCE
Former critics of the Department of Parks and Recreation's proposed dog park regulations have praised the latest version of the rules, released last Friday, as more accommodating and realistic.
“When I got to the department and looked at the regulations as they were, they were not conducive to creating dog parks,” said Clark Ray, acting director of the parks department. The new rules use a “common-sense approach” that should get two to three parks up and running within a year, he said.
“I'm really excited,” said Bill Schultheiss, member of a task force that worked with the department to revise the controversial original regulations. Schultheiss, also a member of the Northeast Capitol Hill advisory neighborhood commission, said he believes the new regulations “meet the intent of the [D.C.] Council legislation that was passed almost two years ago” authorizing creation of off-leash dog parks."
|
According to a newsletter from Ward 4 Council member Muriel Bowser, the city allocated $600,000 toward the creation of dog parks in fiscal year 2008, estimating that each new park will require between $150,000 and $200,000.
The council authorized the creation of legal areas for dogs to run free in fall 2005. After consulting with a variety of District agencies, the parks department released a draft of the rules last March to strong criticism.
Many argued that some of the provisions — such as one requiring a minimum of 10,000 square feet for every dog park, and another requiring that the area around each dog park be certified as rat-free for five blocks — would prevent the creation of any legal dog parks in the city.
After public meetings and task-force sessions, the department discarded some of the more contentious regulations and circulated a second draft. But many continued to balk at some of the rules, such as one that prevented dog parks from locating within 200 feet of residences, businesses, playgrounds or community gardens.
The language of the new dog park regulations is more flexible. Dog parks should be 5,000 square feet, the provisions recommend — “unless parkland availability precludes ... meeting this guideline.” The parks department director can reject unsuitable locations for dog parks, such as areas near playgrounds, athletic fields or community gardens, but will make such decisions on “a case-by-case basis.”
The new rules also cast off a former provision that required community groups to register as 501(c)3 organizations and finance their own dog parks. Under the new rules, “Essentially a basic dog park will be provided by DPR at low cost. Any additional amenities will be covered by the sponsor group,” parks department spokesperson Regina Williams wrote in an e-mail to The Voice.
A dog park sponsor group must seek support from the surrounding community, such as the local advisory neighborhood commission, before applying to the parks department. Once a review committee approves the site, the sponsor group will partner with the parks department to maintain the park and enforce its rules.
Mindy Moretti, an Adams Morgan advisory neighborhood commissioner, remarked that the new rules “leave a lot up to the community to figure out what works best” for their area. Opponents to potential dog parks can voice their concern by attending and speaking up at community meetings, she pointed out.
The regulations are “not hung up on a cookie-cutter mold,” agreed Kathy Silva, co-founder of dog activist group DC Dog. “Every neighborhood is different, and we know that.”
The new rules do include some concrete numbers, such as barring puppies under 4 months old, requiring 5-foot fences around every park and mandating that each dog handler be at least 16 years old. Such rules mirror regulations in other cities, said Moretti.
Silva applauded the new regulations as “reasonable, consistent and balanced” and said she believes her group has a good chance of moving forward with its long-delayed plans to establish a dog park on Newark Street.
Many said the parks department's acting director, Ray, is responsible for the new spirit of flexibility in the rules. “Mr. Ray seems to understand that this is an important issue across the city,” said Schultheiss.
Silva said a group of around a dozen dog park advocates met with Ray last month to discuss their concerns about the draft regulations. “It was clear from his reaction and response that he wanted to do something that was positive, and that compromise was what he was about,” she said.
DC Dog is in the midst of petitioning to support the regulations “without modifications,” said Silva.
Copies of the new dog park regulations are available at dpr.dc.gov. According to a notice on the Web site, the parks department will allow written comments on the regulations until Nov. 10.
|
Posted on Oct 18, 2007 18:28pm.
(Return)
|
|
|
|
|
Categories
|
|
|
