Coast Views Magazine, edition 2/12. Jo-Anne Daniels, "Opening of Pacifica's Dog Park".
"This spring, Pacifica is scheduled to officially open its first dog
park, located at the Sanchez Art Center at 1220 Linda Mar Boulevard in
Pacifica. Construction began Dec. 8 when city officials and members of
the Pacifica Organization of Canine Helpers — also known as POOCH —
broke ground at the site of the new park. As dog owner JoAnn Alanzo
says, “Both two-legged and four-legged friends will benefit from its
presence.”The dog park will provide an enclosed space — approximately half an acre — for dogs to run off-leash and socialize with other dogs in a safe environment. The park will be secured by a four-foot-high, green, vinyl-coated chain-link fence. Dog fountains will be located inside the park and there are plans to create segregated areas for small and large dogs. The park will be free, and will be open between 7 a.m. and sunset.
The City of Pacifica will provide a dispenser for doggie waste bags. POOCH, in partnership with the city, will provide free waste bags and a garbage receptacle. During the first months the park is open, POOCH volunteers will be on hand to educate dog owners about using the dog waste bags and garbage receptacle and to encourage park users to keep the park clean for everyone. Read more.
Reference - Pacifica POOCH, Why a Dog Park?
Posted by Kathy Meeh
28 comments:
The dog park should be limited to pets with current San Mateo County tags.
I have never heard of a park limited only to citizens/dogs of a particular city or county.
While it's nice to have the dog park, it's not so glorious and accessible that it's going to attract lots of out-of-towners.
with Pacifica going broke, seems reasonable to not subsidize out-of-towners. We pick up after surfers at Linda Mar beach and have the deficit to show for it.
Palo Alto has a very nice residents only park. It can be done if council is smart enough to think...
http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/csd/parks_and_open_space/preserves_and_open_spaces/foothills_park.asp
The dog park is under the control of POOCH and the City. Dog owners might want be involved with POOCH, the organization.
This is our first city dog park, the City of Palo Alto has at least 3 off-leash exercise areas. I think if out-of-towners find the dog park 1 mile into Pacifica off Linda Mar Boulevard, they may also stop-off elsewhere in the city.
BTW Anon (900), true Foothills Park is very scenic. Its a preserve, with limited access for Palo Alto residents and their guests only. Dogs are permitted ON LEASH during weekdays only, no weekends or holidays. Our 1 city OFF LEASH "open to the public" dog park is not that.
The funds for this park were raised by local volunteers who may not have lived in their local township. Money and support came from not just Pacifica but all of our neighboring areas.
The problem with Pacifica not getting the tourist dollars it should, is because of it's attitude. Sure we love to live in a small town that is authentic and hasn't been touched by the hand of trendy tourist shops & "yuppified" shopping centers. The other hand of that is that the hundreds of tourists who flow through here daily have no where to spend their money. I speak from personal experience. First place I tried to go to when I moved to the area was Pacifica. I drove through it several times trying to find the unique town I'd always thought of. When I got here the only thing I saw was a string rundown shopping centers, and industrial section where I couldn't find the pier and a Taco Bell on the beach. We ate at Taco Bell, and moved on down south. I later found out that this is a common occurrence. Now that I live here, I see so many cars driving around doing the same thing I did...
"The funds for this park were raised by local volunteers who may not have lived in their local township. Money and support came from not just Pacifica but all of our neighboring areas."
Old Time Scotch Collies (1036), this dog park is a long time coming. Thanks to our regional neighbors, to all of you locally, and to the city.
Your personal experience moving into Pacifica is similar to mine. Although I moved-in permanently in 1983, so the shopping centers and the pier were newer.
Mesh, did you go to Todd Bray's clown college?????
Comparing palo alto to pacifica!!
The Palo Alto dog park comparison originated with Anonymous 9 AM, including a web link. So, Anonymous 1:50 pm, you're "barking up the wrong tree".
Also, the petty attack on Todd Bray and myself, sniffs-out that the only clown in question is you Anonymous 1:50 pm.
I posted the Palo Alto park example merely to answer question of can a park be restricted to residents only. Foothill park is not mainly a dog park: it's got a lot else going for it. The point is not dogs but residency
Ms Meeh went nanny again with extraneous comments. Off topic rambles are her's alone.
Anonymous (604), Pacifica will have a public DOG PARK, not an on-leash side yard for "residents (with their dogs) only". A DOG PARK was planned and approved the city and POOCH, and that is what is being built.
Dog owners in this city have been asking for an accessible off-leash dog park for over 10 years. POOCH has been working to achieve this goal, since 2006 (5 years).
What you said is:
1) "with Pacifica going broke, seems reasonable to not subsidize out-of-towners". Then you posted a link to the Palo Alto Foothill preserve, (9:00am).
2) Countered by "I posted the Palo Alto park example merely to answer question of can a park be restricted to residents only", (6:04pm).
So which is it, and who is rambling? Choice of YOUR words, you may need a "nanny".
Proof again that it is better to be a nanny than a ninny, Kathy.
pooch only raised like $30K, or something, the dog park is going to cost $150K, but the city says "don't worry because it's from the x-y-z account (to us normal citizens money is money regardless of what account it is from). pooch got this park approved because they have a lot of members that stormed the planning and council meetings (for years), in other words, they pushed and pushed and got it done, they did not listen to the complaints of neighbors that asked that it be put elsewhere such as near Frontierland park, etc. ( i watched this on the tv replay) they wanted what they wanted - "don't worry, it won't affect your property values", "don't worry it won't affect the photographer's studio that is right near the entrance", yeah right....it's not even open yet and the whole neighborhood smells (all the way to the condo's on rosita where i live) because of some mulch they used...while it is nicer to have this land used for a park (dog or otherwise) rather than housing of some kind, don't argue that pooch raised all the money, cause that just ain't true; whether or not it can and will be maintained remains to be seen...hopefully so...but this is not a win for the homeowners that surround the sanchez, don't fool yourself into thinking that it is...
Anon (1023), maybe you're the complaining photographer who enjoys cheap rent at Sanchez Art Center. That old Sanchez school and grounds are designated for "recreation". That's why there are playing fields outside your building.
There is a city parks fee charged to developments. POOCH has raised some money, and will provide volunteer labor to clean-up. In other cities, the city provides and maintains most dog parks.
Something like 20% of households have dogs in this city, and dogs need exercise. But, if you live on Rosita, you will not have to worry about this dog park, which will be a friendly improvement for my neighborhood which is closer.
Finding space to do anything in this city is difficult, because 60% of city land is permanent "open space", no longer our city.
POOCH members have attended meetings leading up to approval of this dog park of course. I have some knowledge of this group, thus I believe your alleged "storming" city meetings assessment is inaccurate. Other cities have dog parks, so should this one.
"Finding space to do anything in this city is difficult, because 60% of city land is permanent "open space", no longer our city." That's the most confused and self-contradictory sentence I've ever read.
"That's the most confused and self-contradictory sentence I've ever read."
It was our mistress of confusion.
"That's the most confused and self-contradictory sentence I've ever read." (Anon 7:40am)
Yep, therein is the Pacifica land conundrum. Land all around us, and almost no where to further develop the city. Meantime, we fight over use of the land scraps. Ridiculous isn't it?
Several articles back, an Anonymous person wrote a really good comment about what used to be our city land, now owned by the State and Federal Government. With a name added, that comment should be posted as an article, Anonymous who ever you are.
Pooch needs to stop kissing city councils arces
It was jimmy v and nancy hall stifling the dog park at frontierland park that pushed it over to sanchez
you know the first place the city offered was esplanade beach.
I told POOCH to tell Rhodes to stop kidding around,
and they want nothing in forntierland park because it was been a city slush fund for vreeland
"...they want nothing in forntierland park because it was been a city slush fund for vreeland"
Anon (1208), Frontierland Park Fund. What kind of "slush fund" are you talking about, used for what purpose?
I can't remember the source of the money (maybe Coastside Scavenger?) but $75K in tax revenue was supposed to be dedicated to Frontierland Park every year. Nothing was ever spent on the park, and people were wondering what happened to the money.
I'm not sure I would call it Vreeland's slush fund, though.
That money from Coastside was remediation funds because environmentl damage was done to some part of the Frontierland site back in the day, lower field area I think. Coastside paid for over 20 years and I believe the total was around a million. Not sure where the money went. General fund??? Not sure if recology assumed the liability and pays or if it just ended. Wouldn't it be nice to know where that money went, is it still in some fund or part of some trail, or, more likely part of a city employee's salary and retirement.
POOCH succeeded where others failed because they came across as reasonable, knowledgable and organized... with a large dose of persistence. The group clearly wanted to be good neighbors and conducted themselves in such a way as to win trust and support from neighbors in the Art Center and nearby homes. Certainly not all the neighbors were won over but when does that ever happen? The space has always been used as a de facto dog park and having some oversight and a dedicated space can greatly improve the situation. It is a public facility and should be used for public use and enjoyment. Best of all, it is truly a neighborhood dog park and easily accessible and safe for all who wish to use it.
Frontierland Park Remediation Fund is still being paid to the city. $75,000 a year. Since 1997 I believe. By contract it is to be used ONLY for Frontierland Park Remediation. Anyone been up there lately? Nothing. The play area was volunteer work and materials. I think the city paid for restroom renovation to the tune of $150,000 or so. Over a million dollars that has flowed to the city and no accounting for it. I dare someone to ask Ritzma, or for that matter, anyone to show you the tracking of the money. They can't do it. The lower park is a mess. A place for kids to hang out and do what kids do. The bathrooms down there are boarded up with bars on the windows like some inner city ghetto wasteland. Where's the park in Frontierland Park?
Hats off to POOCH. They did a fantastic job of addressing concerns from the neighborhood. Those same people skills won over PB&R and Council. That didn't happen with the Frontierland situation. No comparison. None. I'd love to see POOCH go after Sharp Park Beach as a doggie beach. How great would that be for Pacifica? It was approved by PB&R and then Council years ago and then mysteriously just never enacted. The beach is still there and the dogs are ready and waiting. C'mon POOCH!
anon1208 baloney. Nancy Hall would be almost the last person on the planet to want a dog park at the Sanchez. A certain fotog would be the last. There were many concerns about Frontierland and future uses, accessibility, parking, unsupervised kids, strong neighborhood and school opposition (Oddstad open then). BTW no what you want to hear but Vreeland wasn't the only council person to be opposed to the site. It was almost unanimous, but why muddy up your mangled facts with reality?
FYI Esplanade Beach is still an off-leash dog park. Has access improved? I kind of lost track of it.
Daniel Boone is still blazing trails! Is this a great country, or what? Where is all that money? General fund or down the rabbit-hole? I'd like to ask Ritzma but frankly I'm easily hypnotized and probably not the best-suited for any fact-finding mission involving the qualude-drone. This is stuff for Lionel or Todd B. They're made of sterner stuff. How much is in the Frontierland remediation fund and same question on that PB&R Ralph Davies bequest from last decade? How much and what can it be used for? If the city wants to raid my cookie jar I claim the same privilege!
FYI Esplanade Beach is still an off-leash dog park. Has access improved? I kind of lost track of it.
Although still listed on the City's website as an off-leash dog area, you'll risk breaking your neck to get to it (the access road is washed away), but more importantly there's no beach there -- the waves come right up to the rip-rap. Does anyone know if there ever was an accessible beach there?
Yes, there was at one time but hard to get to and from. Beach gone? What the City of Pacifica gives to dog-owners Mother Nature takes away.
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