Richardson residents have hounded Michael Massey about a dog park for years. The parks director said people approach him everywhere — at the grocery store, church, public functions.
A proposal that will go to the City Council this month might grant their wish.
The Park and Recreation Commission recently recommended turning 6 to 8 acres in the southwest corner of Central Expressway and Bush Turnpike into a dog park.
Council members will review the $1.5 million proposal Sept. 30, though it’s unclear when they’ll make a decision.
“The need has been there,” Massey said. “The problem has been where to put it.”
Another issue was finding the funding. The council will consider whether to use short-term debt to finance the proposed park.
Mayor Laura Maczka, who is a dog owner, said accessibility, parking and cost will be the council’s main considerations when it studies the site. Like Massey, she gets frequent requests for a dog park. Maczka said she wants one, too.
“It’s a very high priority for me,” she said. “We just want to make sure we do it right.”
The land that city officials have their eyes set on belongs to the Texas Department of Transportation. While the state agency is open to the idea of a dog park, the city would have to go through a formal process to get permission to use the land, Massey said.
If the council approves the site, it could take at least a year to develop the park. No money would go to TxDOT for use of the land, Massey said. The city would be in charge of maintenance.
The proposed dog park would have fenced areas for large and small dogs, mostly under the shade of the turnpike. Other features include restrooms, benches, turf, pathways and a security light.
A creek and a hike-and-bike trail run west of the property. They separate the land from the closest neighborhood, an apartment complex.
Residents have asked for park space to unleash their dogs for at least five years, Massey said. A dog park was included in the city’s open space master plan in 2010. It ranked No. 4 in a survey of residents’ priorities behind trails, an indoor pool and greenways.
But finding the right site had become a bone of contention.
“Everyone wants a dog park, but not in their backyard,” Massey said.
Take the unfunded park next to Twin Rivers Senior Living on Glenville Drive, for example. At an April public meeting, officials asked residents what should go on the park when the city has money to build it.
Massey said the location was ruled out for a dog park because there was no consensus.
Paco Otal, president of the Glenville Park homeowners association, said many neighbors want a dog park, but not the traffic it would bring.
“We felt that the property was too small to make that a destination-type park,” he said.
The Park and Recreation Commission has listened to these concerns, chairman Bob Dubey said. It studied eight to nine potential sites. One was part of the 417-acre Breckinridge Park on the eastern side of the city.
But commissioners favored the untapped potential of the land on the Richardson-Plano border, Dubey said.
“There’s plenty of land,” he said. “There’s plenty of shade.”
In Glenville Park, at least, residents like the idea.
Resident Steve Harris said he’s glad his neighborhood dodged the dog park and its traffic.
But he also has Edie, a Labrador-German shepherd mix.
When Edie was a puppy, Harris would take her to open fields and let her run, even though he knew it wasn’t allowed. She’s 10 now, recovering from a torn ACL, and can’t dash like she used to.
But Harris’ son has a chocolate Labrador that could use more exercise, he said.
“I think it’s exciting. I really do,” Harris said. “There’s a large contingent of people in the city of Richardson that are obviously really, really hungry for a dog park.”
via www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/richardson-lake-highlands/headlines/20130917-richardson-dog-park-proposal-goes-to-city-council-this-month.ece
A proposal that will go to the City Council this month might grant their wish.
The Park and Recreation Commission recently recommended turning 6 to 8 acres in the southwest corner of Central Expressway and Bush Turnpike into a dog park.
Council members will review the $1.5 million proposal Sept. 30, though it’s unclear when they’ll make a decision.
“The need has been there,” Massey said. “The problem has been where to put it.”
Another issue was finding the funding. The council will consider whether to use short-term debt to finance the proposed park.
Mayor Laura Maczka, who is a dog owner, said accessibility, parking and cost will be the council’s main considerations when it studies the site. Like Massey, she gets frequent requests for a dog park. Maczka said she wants one, too.
“It’s a very high priority for me,” she said. “We just want to make sure we do it right.”
The land that city officials have their eyes set on belongs to the Texas Department of Transportation. While the state agency is open to the idea of a dog park, the city would have to go through a formal process to get permission to use the land, Massey said.
If the council approves the site, it could take at least a year to develop the park. No money would go to TxDOT for use of the land, Massey said. The city would be in charge of maintenance.
The proposed dog park would have fenced areas for large and small dogs, mostly under the shade of the turnpike. Other features include restrooms, benches, turf, pathways and a security light.
A creek and a hike-and-bike trail run west of the property. They separate the land from the closest neighborhood, an apartment complex.
Residents have asked for park space to unleash their dogs for at least five years, Massey said. A dog park was included in the city’s open space master plan in 2010. It ranked No. 4 in a survey of residents’ priorities behind trails, an indoor pool and greenways.
But finding the right site had become a bone of contention.
“Everyone wants a dog park, but not in their backyard,” Massey said.
Take the unfunded park next to Twin Rivers Senior Living on Glenville Drive, for example. At an April public meeting, officials asked residents what should go on the park when the city has money to build it.
Massey said the location was ruled out for a dog park because there was no consensus.
Paco Otal, president of the Glenville Park homeowners association, said many neighbors want a dog park, but not the traffic it would bring.
“We felt that the property was too small to make that a destination-type park,” he said.
The Park and Recreation Commission has listened to these concerns, chairman Bob Dubey said. It studied eight to nine potential sites. One was part of the 417-acre Breckinridge Park on the eastern side of the city.
But commissioners favored the untapped potential of the land on the Richardson-Plano border, Dubey said.
“There’s plenty of land,” he said. “There’s plenty of shade.”
In Glenville Park, at least, residents like the idea.
Resident Steve Harris said he’s glad his neighborhood dodged the dog park and its traffic.
But he also has Edie, a Labrador-German shepherd mix.
When Edie was a puppy, Harris would take her to open fields and let her run, even though he knew it wasn’t allowed. She’s 10 now, recovering from a torn ACL, and can’t dash like she used to.
But Harris’ son has a chocolate Labrador that could use more exercise, he said.
“I think it’s exciting. I really do,” Harris said. “There’s a large contingent of people in the city of Richardson that are obviously really, really hungry for a dog park.”
via www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/richardson-lake-highlands/headlines/20130917-richardson-dog-park-proposal-goes-to-city-council-this-month.ece
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