This is the Google Map view of the area we have to work with, hopefully it makes it easier to locate the green space we will be discussing.
Thank you!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Overview of area to be used.
This is the Google Map view of the area we have to work with, hopefully it makes it easier to locate the green space we will be discussing.Thank you!
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Dog Park
ReplyDeleteDog Park Subcommittee Report 26 May 2012
A dog park is for everyone, young and not so young, short, tall, physically fit or not, and those who are physically challenged. The only requirements we attempt to maintain are that dog parks are close to parking to serve those who are physically challenged and that the dog park be at least 50 yards from residential property, to minimize barking dogs’ disturbance upon neighborhood residential property owners.
A dog park conforms to the lay of the land; no clearing is needed nor is it requiring any specific size or shape. In fact, it is best to leave the land in its present condition, to have hills, trees, and bushes for the dogs to explore and investigate. In our travels with our dogs, we have seen dog parks partially or solely contained within water detention facilities, such as the two dog parks on the west side of Harris County. The Congressman Bill Archer & Millie Bush Dog Parks have been completely flooded during heavy rain events, where the tops of the fencing posts are completely underwater. As far as effective use of the land, a Dog Park is normally occupied 85% of the time and in all types of weather, hot or cold, rain or shine, windy or calm.
The American Veterinary Medical Association, a membership organization, published a study of their members in 2007 that 37.2% of US households own a dog, and most have more than one dog. This is up slightly from their 2001 study of 36.1% of US Households owning a dog.
www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/ownership.asp
What is a Dog Park?
A dog park is a clearly defined location where dog owners can safely and legally exercise and socialize their dog’s off-leash in a controlled environment. Generally, they are enclosed with some type of fencing to prevent or restrict the dog from leaving the designated area.
Off-leash dog parks provide a social setting in which people can gather and interact in friendship. Dog parks are places where dog owners and non-dog owners can delight in the entertaining and interesting interaction of dogs at play. People somehow find it easier to converse with others with dogs as the initial focus, breaking down the usual social barriers that make people in our society perceive others as "strangers."
Dogs improve people's health and increase resistance to disease by providing companionship and unconditional love. Dogs give people something to care for, providing pleasurable activity, such as exercise and providing a source of constancy in our changing lives, stimulate by providing comfort with touch, and being a pleasure to watch.
Dog parks reduce the likelihood that dogs will be let loose in park areas where they could interfere with other park users such as bicyclists, skate-boarders, rollerblading, hikers, and children at play. Providing separate areas for dogs to exercise, segregates dog owners from other users and reduce the risk of collisions, etc. Years of experience at dog parks across the country indicate that dogs are less aggressive in open areas because they are on neutral territory and not constrained by their leashes. Dog Parks allow dogs to learn socialization skills, provides exercise opportunities, tend to bark less in public, and tend to be less destructive at home.
Dedicated dog parks improve public health by keeping dog waste confined to one area. Peer pressure encourages dog owners to pick up after their dogs and keep the park clean. Dog parks provide a centralized area to provide information on dog health, veterinary services, boarding, training, etc.
We are seeking additional volunteers to join our Green Plan Sub-Committee to help create a Dog Park within the former Golf Course.
Please visit our website at www.bark9.com or email me at fred@bark9.com chair of the Green Plan Dog Park Sub-Committee.
While I like the idea of getting a green space, the people that would get the most benefit from this plan seems to be the home owners and the neighborhoods that are in the immediate vicinity of the upgrade. I live in a HOA and are required to pay yearly due for the maintenance of our green space. My question becomes why CLCWA taxes being used to upgrade the green space for those neighborhoods while the rest of the neighborhoods have to pay CLCWA taxes and HOA fees.
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