2001-06-04 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

113 Neighborhood has expressed concern about having a dog area in Riverview Park, and feel it would be better in a community park. Mr. Cox said he was surprised to see that one additional police officer may be required to enforce the ordinance. Police Chief Timothy Longo said he is not aware of where this information came from, but he feels it will be highly impractical to enforce the proposed ordinance. Mr. Cox said he is confident this community will seek a compromise, and he is not satisfied that alternatives have been exhausted. He said he is surprised there was no research on alternate times for off-leash dogs and he would be very interested in pursuing this idea. Mr. Cox said he hopes that the off-leash areas proposed will be pursued regardless of the action Council takes on the ordinance. Mr. Cox said he does not feel a solution has yet been found that he can support. Mr. Toscano questioned the rationale for opening up one side of the Greenbelt Trail for off-leash dogs, and said he feels it would be cumbersome to try to administer. Mr. Toscano said he is not ready to vote on the ordinance. Mr. Toscano said he thinks that dog owners are a legitimate user group from the City and he thinks their needs ought to be considered. Mr. Toscano said he does not think it is a good solution to increase the number of County residents at Riverview Park. He suggested doing something incrementally and seeing if it works, but acknowledged that it will need to be self- enforcing. Mr. Toscano said he would like to see the idea of alternate times tried. Mr. Toscano said the safety issue is a big concern, especially for people who are afraid of dogs. He said he thinks the environmental concerns are a little overstated, though he thinks that needs to be pursued. Mr. Toscano recommended that the issue be sent back to the Advisory Board to come back with other alternatives. Mr. Caravati said he tends toward supporting a leash law if there is sufficient off- leash areas for dogs. Mr. Caravati said there are great demands on the City parks and it is heartening to see that Albemarle County is interested in pursuing dog areas in some of their parks. Ms. Richards said she agrees with the suggestion to refer the matter back to the Advisory Board, but is concerned that it could take an inordinate amount of time and may require acquisition of land. Ms. Richards said that staff has looked at the issue extensively and is concerned about delaying instituting a leash law which she supports. Ms. Richards said she is concerned that users of the park have been driven away. She noted that the proposal is not to ban dogs. Ms. Richards noted that she always kept her dog on a leash. She said she does not think children and dogs mix well at Riverview Park and dogs develop a pack mentality when together. Ms. Richards said she feels we should put ourselves in the shoes of Woolen Mills residents who created the park and who gave easements for the trail. Ms. Richards said we need to ensure the use of our parks by people. She said she is willing to support dog areas, but is concerned it will delay the process. Mr. Toscano asked if there is a consensus to explore an off-leash area in Towe Park, and Councilors said yes. Mr. Toscano asked if Councilors are in agreement that dogs should be leashed in the children's area at Riverview Park. Mr. Cox said he would like to see Mr. Van Hooser's idea explored, and he would like to see users of the park co-exist. Mr. Cox suggested having a trial period for restricted hours for non-leashed dogs. Responding to a question from Mr. Lynch, Mr. Plocek said he feels it will take 30 to 45 days for the County to amend its ordinance to allow non-leashed dogs at Towe Park, after which temporary construction would need to occur.