Apparently the City of Urbandale is again teasing us with the possibility of building a dog park. Theyve done an excellent job of keeping it a secret. I got a letter yesterday from the Parks and Recreation department about it. Apparently neighbors were allowed to voice their complaints at a Capital Improvements Project public hearing in December. The CIP committee is passing the decision on to the City Council to decide on January 20, and the Parks and Rec committee is notifying people who spoke at hearing the last time a dog park was discussed (in 2008!!!!) in case wed want to address the Council. Somehow I just cant work up any enthusiasm in support of the park. First, it seems like the deck is being stacked against supporters of a dog park. Theres nothing on the City website about a prospective dog park, and theres been nothing in the media that Ive seen.Since the neighbors were notified about the CIP committee meeting, you can bet theyre informed about the City Council meeting. But for the pro side, theyre just inviting people who spoke at meeting six years ago and may still be in the neighborhood? Second, its not a great location. Its located not far off 100th Street, between Hickman and Douglas, but rather than building a short access road from the Ashland business complex across the railroad tracks and directly to the park, users will have drive through twisty residential streets (the Patricia Park neighborhood) to get there. Third, theres no information about what amenities (if any) would be at the park. Parks & Rec supplied a satellite shot of the area, with a small (24 spot) parking lot and a couple trails drawn in. The dog park area is just empty space-- no trees, no nothin. Maybe theyre planning on having benches or water or something more than a fence, but theres nothing about it in the letter. And frankly, Im tired of Urbandales NIMBY attitude (not in my back yard). West Des Moines and Windsor Heights welcome dog owners from across the metro. If Urbandale doesnt want to welcome to the community the responsible dog owners who would use a dog park, we can drive to WDM or Windsor Heights. And if we need to stop a store on the way home, well be sure to spend our money in West Des Moines or Windsor Heights as well.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 02:08:05 +0000
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