Description
The presence of dogs and their owners is one of the few things keeping this park safer than it otherwise would be (especially at night).
Here are some positive things that I've witnessed:
-Dog owners are the closest thing we have to a neighborhood watch, especially now that it's getting darker earlier and the lighting in the park is VERY inadequate at night.
-Dog owners keep the drug dealers from completely taking over the area.
-Dog owners are the only ones who get together to clean the park of the dangerous broken glass, grocery carts, and other litter that is left behind.
-I have never witnessed the small dogs that make the majority ever threaten small children and have only ever seen kids playing with the small dogs.
Instead of focusing on removing a positive influence to Morrison Park, how about focusing on what is really wrong with area?
-Last year there was a stabbing in Morrison Park.
-Recently I saw a group of girls viciously beat another in plain daylight.
-I have witnessed drug deals in the fenced-in play area. I've seen and smelled kids smoking marijuana there as well.
-I've also seen the same activities occur behind the dugout of the baseball diamond.
I believe that these persons are more of threat to children than small dogs.
Oddly enough, it seems that these activities disburse when dogs and dog owners are nearby.
I think the proper balance would be to add a gated-in area strictly for dogs to safely run off-leash. This way, people who are threatened by dogs would feel less threatened, and we would maintain the positive influence of dog owners in the area.
12 Commentaires
Anonymous (Invité)
Anonymous (Invité)
I agree with Zack. The real issue isn't the dogs, but the punks that hang around the park.
I've also witnessed the dog owners cleaning the park.
Mayor's Office (Invité)
Mayor's Office
Dan (Invité)
To the Mayor's office: Please consider enforcing all the laws including the "no dogs allowed" rules. The signs were put up there with some reasoning behind them. There are big dogs running in the park too! Removing the signs will only embolden more people to let their dogs loose.
To Zack: You have listed a host of problems that occurred during the past year when there were plenty of dogs running around in the park. The presence of dogs did nothing to stop the young girls fighting, which I witnessed, nor did they stop the drug deals. (one of the dealers was walking a dog incidentally). Most of the deals occur on the surrounding streets anyway. While they do provide a presence in the park, dogs and their owners are not designated public safety officials for Morrison park. We pay taxes and have police officers with training for that purpose.
I realize that many dog owners will get defensive on this subject. I am not against dogs. I propose that the tennis court, which is not being used much these days and which is not in the best of shape be designated as a dog playground. On the other hand, it is not unreasonable to expect your average Pit Bull, Rottweiler, or German Shepherd to be on a leash when other people are in the vicinity.
Anonymous (Invité)
Zack (Utilisateur inscrit)
Thanks for your comments Dan. We do pay taxes for police officers to enforce laws, but we also pay taxes for our public officials to be our voice and there are quite a few dog owners in the area (if you haven't already noticed.)
Okay, so I do not think that we are at odds on this issue, Dan. I think we agree that a fenced in area for dogs to run free and play would be the best solution. I in fact proposed that, myself in my initial comment.
Best Course of Action:
1) Remove "No Dogs Allowed Sign"
2) Erect a sign stating "All Dogs Must be Leashed & Dog Owners Must Pick up After their Dogs or Pay $50 Fine"
4) Designate a fenced in area for dogs to run.
Some Details on #4:
The City may or may not have sufficient funding for infrastructure projects to do the following work:
-Break up & remove the concrete in the tennis area
-Re-lay fence so dogs won't escape through gaps on current fence that has sharp rusty corners.
-Lay soft wood chips for the dogs to play on.
-Install better lighting in the fenced in area.
Cost:
It shouldn't cost more than $10,000 in labor and materials. If the City does not have the budget this FY to procure materials and pay labor costs, I'm sure (given the volume dog owners in the area) that funds could be raised.
If the Mayors Officer and City of Public Works is interested, I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and can provide a detailed Work Breakdown Structure, Cost Estimate, Schedule & Risk Assessment for further consideration. I am willing to assist the City of Medford in managing this effort on a volunteer/pro-bono basis.
Zack (Utilisateur inscrit)
Anonymous (Invité)
Mayor's Office (Invité)
Thank you.
Mayor's Office
Voter (Utilisateur inscrit)
Medford (Invité)
Clos Zack (Utilisateur inscrit)