Thank you to everyone who
braved the rain to attend our fourth community meeting last week. I also want to thank our panel of speakers
from the Dog Friendly Area Committee, Laura Bolesta, Grace Gaughan, James
McDonough, Peter Schlossman and Lynn Sheck.
They did a fantastic job explaining what we’ve been up to. For those of you who missed it, let me fill
you in.
As most of you know by now,
Chicago Park District has comprehensive guidelines for developing a dog
friendly area that outline particular steps that must be taken. First among them is picking a site. Working with Horner Park’s supervisor, an
underutilized 1.8 acre section at south end of the park was originally
identified by Horner Park Advisory Council as a good spot. With the funding and expansion of the
Riverfront Project to the south side of the park, the proposed site is now
limited to approximately an acre on the southwest side of the originally
delineated area. What we like about the
site is that a dog park could be unobtrusively nestled within the trees so as
to be less intrusive to the aesthetic of the park and other users as a
whole. It would also provide abundant
shade, which is recommended by the American Kennel Society and the Humane
Society as a necessary part to a healthy dog park. The running path would not be disturbed and
the line of trees along the concrete paths will provide a nice buffer
zone. At the meeting, it was suggested
that we look into converting one of the lessor-used baseball diamond as an
alternative proposed site instead. The argument was that the baseball
association had 12 diamonds that are only used for a short season. If we
converted one for a dog park we would not lose a picnic site and it is closer
to the area that owners already run their dogs. We agreed to discuss this idea
with the park supervisor.
The next step involves
petitioning the neighborhood and conducting usage surveys. Our panel members explained in detail what we
have done to date and example surveys and petitions were circulated. Volunteers from the Dog Friendly Area
Committee canvassed the neighborhoods within a 5-block radius of the park in
every direction over the past year as required by the guidelines. Although the new
guidelines require only 50 signatures, we have collected close to 700. The petition allows people to write either
“Yes” or “No” in answer to the question of whether they support a dog park.
Only 3% answered “No.” We will no longer be canvassing the
neighborhood, but if you would like to sign, the petition will be available at
the monthly Horner Park Advisory Council meetings on the first Monday of each
month. Alternatively, please email dfac@hornerpark.org and we will arrange a time to meet you. The petition was available to sign at the
meeting. And the chocolates were free whether or not you choose to sign!
With respect to the usage
surveys, we have completed over 300 surveys since October 2012. Only 8 are required by the new guidelines. The point of the surveys is to take a
snapshot of how the proposed area is being used at different times of day,
different days of the week and different times of the year over the course of
time so one can get an idea of how the area is currently being used. Our surveys show that the most consistent use
of the area is by runners on the trail.
There is one permitted picnic site in the proposed dog park area that
would be lost if the dog park is built.
According to the park supervisor, that site is rarely rented and our
surveys reflect that as well, though on popular summer weekends we did
sometimes record people picnicking there.
It was also noted that other picnic areas will be lost due to the
Riverfront Project. In response to that,
the park supervisor has confirmed the addition of one permitted picnic area and
is considering the possibility of adding another on the west side of the park
along California. Apparently, those are
already the most rented spots. A map showing these areas was distributed. It was suggested that since the nature of the
park will change after the construction of the Riverfront Project, the surveys
are no longer relevant and should be conducted anew after construction. The response to that was to take a look at
the displaced users. We could agree that
the east side of the park is used primarily by two groups: (1) players warming
up for games and their families picnicking, and (2) dogs and runners.
Logically, group 1 is not going to relocate to the southwest corner of the park
as it is an impractical distance from the baseball fields they are playing
on/watching. Group 2 would be accommodated
by the dog park. That being said, we agreed to conduct some further surveys
once the Riverfront Project is underway, to the extent it predates the
construction of the dog park.
Our media chair then reviewed
how we’ve tried to engage the community and keep everyone up-to-date on the
process. Information can be found on the
Horner Park Advisory Council website, on our blog and on Facebook. We have
posters up in Horner, Welles, McFetridge and Revere Parks. We have flyers up in
businesses all over the surrounding neighborhoods that we replace every couple
of months. We ask the Alderman’s offices, the Horner Park Advisory Council and
other neighborhood groups to share information when events are scheduled. We
even hand out business cards with information about the dog park initiative to
people we see on the streets. And, of course, we rely on word of mouth.
With the petition and usage
phases complete, we now move on to fundraising. Chicago Park District estimates
that the cost of building a dog park is $150,000. Excluding the beach, almost all of Chicago
Park District dog parks are less than .3 acres. As our proposed park is
considerably bigger, we anticipate that the costs will also be correspondingly
higher. That money has to be privately
raised. There is no existing pot of
money from which we are drawing that could be dedicated to another
purpose. We will look to individual
donors big and small, corporate donors, grants and government entities. Feel free to donate now if you like, right
here on this website! Horner Park Advisory Council, a 501(c)(3) organization,
will be accepting the monies for the dog friendly area so your contribution
will be tax deductible to the fullest of law.
We do not know how long the
fundraising phase will take: It could take months; it could take years. In any event, once we can show $150,000 in
committed funds we can submit our proposal to the Park District for their
approval. Included in that package would be our conceptual idea for the park.
Our vision is a 1-acre enclave nestled into the southwest corner of the park,
enclosed by an attractive black fence.
Ideally, we would have a grass surface, but as grass is not permitted it
would be a mix of surfaces with a large artificial turf “fetch” area, retaining
walls filled with woodchips around the trees and hardscape at the multiple
entrances. Photos were passed around showing some of these design elements from
another dog park. There would be both human and dog water fountains and
possibly benches and a water feature for the dogs. There was discussion about
whether there would be a small dog area as well. That is certainly up for
consideration based on what people prefer and could as be added later if it was
not in the original build. While we
don’t have a specific design, we hope understanding the basic design elements
will allow you to better imagine the space.
The consensus expressed a preference for natural elements. Upon their approval, the Park District will prepare
a design and present it to the community for “review and agreement.” So the community will have a continuing
opportunity to comment on the specific design plans moving forward. The current guidelines create a sort of
“chicken and egg” dilemma, as you need to have the committed funds before the
park district will sit down and discuss design with you, but you need to have a
design to get the support. We will ask
the Park District again if we might be able to get some design process going to
help people better envision what it would look like. Everyone was in agreement that if we are going
to build a dog park, it needed to be large enough to accommodate the way
current dog users want to play and it needs to be attractive. It was asked that
if we couldn’t raise sufficient funds would we end up building a small concrete
pad. The answer is no. We are not on a
timeline so we would continue to try to raise additional funds.
It was suggested that now
that we have more of a connection with Chicago Park District due to our
engagement with the Riverfront Project, we work for an exception that would
allow for a grass surface to create more continuity with the restoration
project. We can certainly strive to get the Park District to reconsider their
policy, but that is not something we can promise at this stage. The idea was presented that there is
incongruity in working so hard to recreate a natural environment on the east
and southeast sides and then stick an artificial turf park next door. Again, grass not currently being an option we
thought turf more palatable then concrete. And it’s not your grandma’s turf.
It’s come a long way. From a distance
you will not be able to tell that it’s artificial turf. A close-up photo of the turf used at another
dog park was circulated. It can be made
from recycled materials – literally saving thousands of pounds of material that
would otherwise end up in landfill – and can be recycled again at the end of
it’s life. It can be made with organic soy backing and it saves the environment
from additional air and water pollution that result from treating regular grass
– seeding, weeding, applying pesticides and mowing. Did you know that using a regular gas mower
for an hour releases the same amount of hydrocarbons as driving fro 200 miles? For
more information about turf, please go to http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/faq/#109. We also
consulted with a certified arborist who confirmed that the use of turf, which
is permeable, would not adversely affect the trees. He did, however, suggest that a nice mulch
bed would be the best way to go and would make them even happier than they are
now. The arborist’s concern was that we
exercise caution during construction so as not to disturb the root beds should
we need to dig below 12-18 inches, which we may not have to do. These are the same issues that will be faced
by the Riverfront Project and I’m sure that we can learn from them.
It was suggested that we wait
until the Riverfront Project is finished and then reconsider the dog park. Our
preference would be not to do that for several reasons. One, the Riverfront Project will take 1-5
years to complete. During that time and possibly for longer, a primary section
of the park that is typically used by dogs may be off-limit to dogs, or to the
extent that it is not off-limit, dogs will have unprotected access to the river
which may make letting ones dogs run off-leash in that area less
desirable. Even if the dog owners were
still comfortable with that, it might be less desirable for environmentalists
who want to protect the new plantings.
Giving the dogs an alternative place to play seems even more imperative
given the upcoming changes. Two, it also makes sense to build sooner rather
than later to limit the overall disruption to the park during
construction. The area adjacent to the
proposed dog park will be a staging area for the Riverfront Project and, as
such, presumably, it will be finished last. It would make sense to share that
staging space and construct the dog park simultaneously if possible. If we wait
until everything is done, more care will have to be taken not to harm the newly
restored space during construction of the adjacent area. Of course, a few things are true. We may not have the money in time to make
concurrent construction possible. The initial construction phase of the
Riverfront Project may be long finished before we raise the funds. An interesting middle-ground idea was
proposed from the audience, which was to ask the park to temporarily fence in
the proposed DFA area while other construction fences were going up on the
Riverfront Project. This would be a
pilot program of sorts during which we could gage both usage and the viability
of grass. This is something that we will definitely explore with the Park
District.
We addressed a concern about
the whether there would be a fee to use the dog park. Currently, the City of Chicago requires that
any dog wanting to use any dog park, including the beach, to have a dog park
permit. This tag costs $5, is good for a
year, and can be obtained from participating veterinarians. The purpose of obtaining the tag is to make
sure that all of the dogs using the dog areas are healthy. In order to obtain
the tag you have to show that your dog has been vaccinated for rabies and that
it is licensed with the City; both of which are already required by law. The
city tag can be obtained online for $5.
There are no additional fees collected to use Chicago dog parks at this
time. It is true that other
municipalities in neighboring cities do collect an annual fee. This is done to help offset costs for the
park and to control the number of users. Those park districts also charge for
their outdoor tennis courts and their swimming pools; facilities Chicago does
not charge for. While neither the Dog
Friendly Area Committee nor the current Park Supervisor have any plans to
assess such a fee, we cannot know and have no control over what Chicago Park
District may decide to do in the future. However, we have no knowledge of any
such plans. That being said, there are potential upsides to charging a nominal
annual fee and if that is something that the community wanted to explore we
would, of course, be willing to consider it. But again, that might not even be
something the Park District would allow, as their rules for the dog parks are
consistent across the city. Those rules, by the way, also limit the number of
dogs that can be brought by any one person at a time to 3. They also require patrons to watch their dogs
and to clean up after them. And in
response to prior concerns about maintenance that were not raised last night,
let me just add that the guidelines require the Dog Friendly Area Committee to
sign a document agreeing to maintain the park. We also met with other Dog Friendly
Area committee members for other dog parks around the city and they said that people
are generally good about maintenance and policing each other, particularly the
regulars. My favorite comment to come from those conversations was, in
reference to the Lakeshore East dog park, “It’s the social epicenter of the
neighborhood!” We love the idea that a
dog park creates a community that crosses social and economic boundaries, which
will strengthen our neighborhood and our city.
I want to end by thanking
everyone for their helpful input and creative ideas. This project only gets
better by hearing from you. We have
endeavored to engage the community from step one when we held our first
community meeting in October 2012 and we will continue to do so. The reason that no community meetings were
held between January and August was because we learned in late January that our
proposed area was captured in the Riverfront Project redesign. It was not confirmed until the end of July
that a section of land would be retained where a dog park could possibly go, if
we follow the necessary steps to completion and ultimately receive Park
District approval. A new Alderman for
the 33rd Ward was also appointed at the end of July. Welcome Deb
Mell and thank you for attending our meeting last week! If we missed something in this article that
was discussed at the meeting or you were not at the meeting and have a question
or an idea, please leave a comment and we will respond as soon as we can.
The Dog Friendly Area Committee will continue to present updates at the monthly Horner Park Advisory Council Meetings, on the first Monday of every month as well, if you want to stay caught up.
Additionally, the HPWNA (Horner Park West Neighborhood Association) holds monthly board meetings on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:30 PM at the Horner Park Fieldhouse. Board meetings are open to all.
The Dog Friendly Area Committee will continue to present updates at the monthly Horner Park Advisory Council Meetings, on the first Monday of every month as well, if you want to stay caught up.
Additionally, the HPWNA (Horner Park West Neighborhood Association) holds monthly board meetings on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:30 PM at the Horner Park Fieldhouse. Board meetings are open to all.
