KC City Council Speaks out against Parks Board Decision

Well, local city councilwoman Jan Marcason sent a letter to the Parks Board requesting they reconsider their decision to amend the dog park rules so that no parks under 100 acres could be considered.  Marcason claims:

"While the proponents of an off-leash dog park within SunnysidePark were met with neighborhood resistance to this site, the far-reaching restrictions adopted by the Park Board could unintentionally prevent another neighborhood that might embrace the benefits of an off-leash park from having this amenity"

Marcason also points out:

"As we all remember, the Parks Board was charged with increasing public use of our park system. Off-leash dog parks have proven to be very popular in many cities across the country. They provide socialization for dog owners, help neighbors get to know one another, and increase usage of under-utilized parks."

Obviously what I'd love to see happen are having the amendments repealed.  Then, have the Parks Board seriously look at a city-wide plan that would involve creation of more dog parks, and increase overall usage of the city's parks.  I would love to see the city fund 3-4 more "regional" dog parks -- in parks like Barkley Riverfront Park, Swope Park, a large park up North and a large one down South.

Then, allow neighborhoods, if they so desired, to raise funds to build their own "neighborhood" parks.  These neighborhood parks would be funded by the neighborhoods (assuming not large opposition) and meet the other criteria in the Dog Park Rules (under-utilized parts of parks, etc).  They should also make a rule that these "neighborhood" parks should not be larger than 10% of the total park space (which would mean a park like Sunnyside park could have a 2 acre dog park, but not a 4 acre one).  This should be fairly easy to meet the neighborhood demand as long as regional parks exist.

Some honest conversation can come up with some good solutions if everyone is willing to work together.  But back-room deals could continue to undermine the entire process, and prove to only be good for a very few.