Residents speak out in favor of bark park

A stretch of College View Park may go to the dogs if the City Council agrees to designate a small field along the 118 Freeway as a bark park.

While members of the Parks and Recreation Commission were making their biannual tour of city parks last Sunday, they spoke with dog owners who said they were anxious to have a dog park in town.

"We want to have a place where we can let our dogs play off-leash without fear of getting a ticket," said Charles Street resident Marilyn McQuinn.

McQuinn and her husband, Steve, were at Country Trail Park with their two dogs, Buster and Lilly, when commissioners arrived to evaluate the park's needs and set priorities for the next fiscal year.

Short-term objectives for the city's 16 parks include replacing playground equipment, constructing a ball wall, selecting a location for a water spray park and implementing a cost-effective summer camp for youth.

In addition, the task of finding a suitable site for a canine playground arose after the City Council decided at a recent meeting not to pursue plans to construct a dog park next to the new post office at the southwest end of High Street.

"The public is interested in a dog park, so commissioners are seeking an alternate location," said Parks and Recreation Department director Mary Lindley in an interview on Monday.

Country Trail Park, which is next to Arroyo West Elementary School on Mountain Meadows, was one of two locations preferred by the commission, but it doesn't have enough parking or restrooms, Lindley said.

The commissioners decided that a flat volleyball field at the southwest corner of College View Park would be better suited for the dog park.

"Our first choice is College View because there is existing fencing (on two sides) and it gives extra exposure to the new Campus Plaza shopping center to boost their business," said Thomas Pflaumer, chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

The dog park would include a double entry gate to prevent unleashed dogs from straying toward people on the nearby playground and sports fields.

College View Park has grass and an irrigation system and ample parking, said Lindley, estimating it would cost about $10,000 to turn the field into a bark park.

Commissioner Daniel Groff, who visited the new canine park in Simi Valley recently, doesn't have dogs, but he supports establishing a pooch park in Moorpark as long as costs are minimal, he said.

Commissioners Patrick Ellis, Delfina Newton, and Sandra Thompson endorsed the proposed concept.

The dog park could be completed within three months if the City Council approves the recommendations.

Having a dog park has been a longtime goal for the community, said Mayor Janice Parvin. Local residents must travel to Thousand Oaks or Simi Valley to let their dogs play off-leash.

"We do get e-mails from residents requesting a dog park. Even people who don't have dogs have actually requested a dog park," Parvin said.

The city will discuss the issue with commissioners at a joint meeting on Wed., April 8. Concerns about public safety will be addressed because some children are frightened of big dogs, the mayor said.