HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/4/2021 Item 19, McKenzie
Wilbanks, Megan
From:John McKenzie <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:5/5/21 City Council Hearing – Item 19 – Parks & Rec Blueprint
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Dear City Council,
First and foremost we would like to commend the Parks and Recreation Commission and staff for their efforts on the draft
Plan before you today. There are many different recreational needs, and this document did an excellent job in evaluating
and prioritizing all of them. Excellent work!
Furthermore, we were impressed with the efforts on taking a portion of one of the City’s major goals (making our City a
more walkable community) to heart. Creating six residential sub-areas and looking at each for basic recreational needs is
an excellent approach to this end. It is hoped that other City Departments give this concept serious consideration as they
update long range plans and give deference to approving key elements that encourage walking in these neighborhoods
instead of always needing to jump into a car.
Now that the draft Plan makes it clear that enclosed dog parks should receive a high and immediate priority, we would like
to speak to the urgency of approving enclosed dog parks. While the pandemic seems to be coming to a close, it has
added to our unmet need of more than 20 years for our 13,000 canine companions needing a place to safely run and play
without a leash. As we have no place to legally go, we try to find what we can within walking distances from our homes,
which includes parks, ball fields and school yards to name a few places. New development does not include back yards
and many of us have to take our dog somewhere to get exercise. And to add to our stress, while the City has not provided
for this recreational need, owners of dogs found off leash will be issued a $500-$600 ticket.
We would ask that your Council take the following steps:
1)
Until safe and secure dog parks are established within the City, reduce the tickets to something more
reasonable ($100?);
Direct staff to locate and approve a design (not necessarily build) for one or more locations with an adequately sized
enclosed dog park; this would improve grant funding opportunities as well as allow outside (non-profit) groups or
individuals to assist in fundraising for and/or building the approved elements;
Direct staff to look for other opportunities within adequately sized parks to locate (and fund) enclosed dog
parks.
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Dogs usually live between 8 and 15 years with only a portion of this considered ‘active’ and dog park worthy. The longer
we delay any action to get enclosed dog parks established, the more dogs will be left out of the chance to be more
socially friendly with other dogs, and their satisfaction of getting regular tiring workouts with their human companions.
Our canine companions thank you in advance for any action you take to further their quality of life in our beautiful City.
John McKenzie
Friends of SLO City Dog Parks
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