Council members approve the enclosed park after an advisory board suggested waiting.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published December 22, 2003
OLDSMAR - Dogs will have a place to run in the city after all.
The City Council has instructed parks and recreation director Lynn Rives to go ahead with plans for a modest dog park in the uplands of the Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve.
Last week's decision came a week after the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted to recommend holding off on plans to build the dog park, which board members thought would be too small. Rives said the city could not afford a park larger than 6,000 square feet.
Mayor Jerry Beverland said at the City Council meeting last week that though he has no problem designating a place specifically for dogs, the city has much bigger concerns. Beverland, Vice Mayor Don Bohr and council member Marcelo Caruso expressed reservations over wasting the city's time on the issue.
They all eventually agreed to the park.
"Dog parks are important to some people," Beverland said. "But to the majority of the people of the city of Oldsmar, they couldn't care less."
Since there is no money in this year's budget for a park, Rives has said he will pull funds from other parts of the parks budget to complete the project. It will be located in a part of the reserve called the North Support Area, south of Bicentennial Park.
When finished, the dog park will allow dog owners a place for their dogs to run unleashed. Currently, every city park has a designated dog area, but none are fenced in, so pets must remain on a leash.
Plans for the park, which will be finished late in the spring, only include fencing for now, Rives said. Other amenities, like benches, lighting and heavy landscaping, could come later.
Since September, city resident Amy Poteet, 33, had been asking for a place to take Chloe, her 1-year-old Labrador-golden retriever. She collected more than 500 signatures from city residents saying they wanted a park as well.
She's happy the council agreed to create a park. She just wants it to be done right. She's worried it might be too small or not well kept.
"I want a dog park, but I don't want them to spend money twice," Poteet said. "I'm glad that they're going to build one. We need one. But we need it done the right way."
