Two Tales of a Dog Park

City Manager Dennis Wilberg’s insider newsletter (The Week That Was, dated Dec. 11) described a public workshop held on Dec. 9 to discuss dog park sites. According to Wilberg, more than 2,500 workshop flyers were mailed to residents in the areas of two potential sites. Twenty-three people attended. Lower Curtis Park on Olympiad and the area south of Gilleran Park on Felipe are the only sites being considered at this time.

Attempting to pander to dog park enthusiasts, Councilman Lance MacLean proposed a dog park in Oso Viejo Park after the city failed to inform the neighborhood. The project was approved on Oct. 5 by the council majority: MacLean, Frank Ury and Trish Kelley. Homeowners near the site quickly rallied against the decision, and the dog park was scuttled on Nov. 16 when Kelley reversed her vote. Those watching the process said it was a net loss for MacLean’s anti-recall campaign.

On Dec. 12, Brad Morton’s MissionViejoDispatch.com presents another view of the same workshop, including the following revelations. The Community Services Commission is responsible for making recommendations on such projects as a dog park, and the commission initially wasn’t invited to attend. The meeting was to be conducted by the city staff only, but the commission chair objected to being shut out. The workshop was then converted to a Community Services Commission meeting.

From the Dispatch: “This is the second time Staff has circumvented Commissions recently. A couple months ago it conducted a staff-only public hearing at the tennis center regarding a planned expansion of that facility. The situation is part of a pattern by the City Council over the past three years to largely ignore Commissions, placing decreasing value on investigation and opinion from these bodies of appointed citizens.”

A second dog park workshop is planned for Jan. 19.