Dog Park Committee Seeks Community Input
They worked in private; spent money for drawings, site studies and consultants. They shunned news coverage and publicity. After a year of meetings the Pickleball Ad-Hoc Committee finally presented their recommendations to the board. By then it was too late for the community to do anything but complain. And so for four years the argument over pickleball raged, wasting money, causing turmoil that is still simmering.
Chase loved frolicking on the Polo Fields but remains a happy dog as he waits patiently for Oakmont to build him and his K-9 buddies a dog park.
The newly formed Dog Park Ad-Hoc Committee appears to have learned a lesson from this ugly period in Oakmont history and is determined not to repeat it.
“Only after we hear from the community about possible locations for a dog park will we present our recommendations to the board,” says committee member Karen Palmiotti. “We want to be completely transparent. That’s why we are planning these Town Halls. We want the community involved in the decision making process.”
The first Town Hall is set for April 19, from 3pm to 4pm at the Berger. On May 18, a second Town Hall is also scheduled at the Berger, starting at 4pm. “We’ll have a power point presentation and a discussion of the pros and cons of each site,” says Palmiotti. “We’ll have plenty of time for questions and to hear suggestions.”
Honey takes in the view from high on the hill above the Stonebridge Dog Park site currently being considered.
“The Town Hall in May is really a follow-up to the first meeting,” explains committee president Paula Lewis. “It gives us a way to respond to questions or good ideas asked at the April Town Hall. That’s why it’s best if everyone comes to the first one
According to board director Greg Goodwin, liaison to the committee, the three locations offered by the Oakmont Golf Club for a community dog park have all been rejected by the city planning department as unsuitable.
One site for a dog park the committee is considering is the sloping hillside across from the community garden. But similar to the pickleball problems which were never about the game, it was all about the location; the idea of locating a dog park off Stonebridge Drive is already creating concern.
“I love dogs,” says long time resident Bridget Molinari. “And I have nothing against a community dog park. I just don’t want it built near my house and my neighbors don’t either.”
Molinari is circulating a petition opposing a dog park at the Stonebridge site. “So far I have collected 29 signatures; most of the homeowners on Stonebridge are against it. Putting a dog park there would increase traffic, create noise from the barking and possibly expose us to contaminants. A Realtor told me it would lower our property values.”
“Well, two Realtors told me it would raise our home values,” counters Palmiotti. The Stonebridge location is just one of a number of possible sites,” she says, with a hint of exasperation. “I wish residents would not get all hysterical over what is now just an idea. They should wait until they learn the facts. Then, instead of petitioning they can offer helpful suggestions. Sometimes I wish people had the same patience as our dogs.
