Oak Ridge Dog Park Layout Draft (Image submitted by city staff)
Radio Systems Corp. has agreed to give Oak Ridge $100,000 through Legacy Parks to help build a dog park, a Friday afternoon press release said.
“At Radio Systems, we are always looking for ways we can give back to our community,†said Randy Boyd, founder and chief executive officer of Radio Systems Corp., maker of the PetSafe Brand. “We’ve seen the incredibly positive impact dog parks have made on communities, and we are excited to continue this effort in East Tennessee. We know Oak Ridgers and their dogs will enjoy a PetSafe dog park.â€
The press release said PetSafe will partner with Oak Ridge to build the dog park within Big Turtle Park on the west end of the city.
“We are delighted with PetSafe’s decision to help us build a dog park in Oak Ridge, and greatly appreciate the company’s investment in our community,†Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said. “As the owner of three dogs, I look forward to bringing my own pets to the new park on a regular basis.â€
Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Josh Collins said the donation helps achieve a long-term community goal.
“The Oak Ridge Dog Park Committee has followed with great interest the construction of PetSafe dog parks in the Knoxville area over last few years, and recently met with Knox County officials to discuss best practices from the county’s construction,” Collins said in the press release. “Construction of an off-leash area has long been a desire of the community and will be a major addition to our park system.â€
The Dog Park Committee could report on the grant during a Thursday meeting of the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Board. That meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room.
The committee earlier drafted two possible designs for the dog park.
In October, Collins said money was the primary obstacle to building the dog park, a project that’s been in the works for about four to five years. Collins said at the time that the cost of the dog park would depend upon its sizes, but expenses could exceed $50,000 for such items as water fountains, park benches, and hundreds of feet of fencing.
The project has its ardent supporters, and there is a Facebook page called “We want a dog park in Oak Ridge!”
PetSafe is headquartered in Knoxville. For more information, visit www.petsafe.net.
Susie Williams Taylor says
Best news for a while!! Thank you Radio Systems Corp~~~
MyraJo says
Fantastic!
John Huotari says
I’m sure our dogs will enjoy it.
Kay Williamson says
what great news,,,, When we make more efforts to improve the quality of life for everyone to come enjoy,,,
TJGarland says
Every vet in town will reap financial benefits also.
Every dog turned loose in the park should be required to be muzzled. Every dog should have proof of vaccinations. This will decrease fights, kennel cough, parvo, and even rabies occurrences.
Again,,taxpayers will be saddled with more expenses for a few lazy people to exercise their dogs. Their “socializing”will be butt sniffing and fighting to see who is the pack leader — or who gets first shot at the bitch in heat.
People will abandon their dogs there. Macho guys will bring their pit bulls and turn them loose. What will an owner do when their poodle is 50 yards away and being mauled by a larger dog? Who will clean up all the dog poop?
The park will have to be supervised all the time. Dog owners should be responsible for the costs.
John, It would be nice to know exactly how much the annual upkeep and supervision costs will be. Anyone that spends hundreds a year on their dogs can easily afford a $50 annual fee to use the park.
There is no free lunch.
It’s a great idea on paper, but will be a disaster in practice.
I give it a year.
John Huotari says
TJ,
I don’t think the people supporting the park are lazy, but I do think you raise good questions about some of the details of implementation, such as the costs of upkeep, maintenance, and supervision. I’m not sure the planning has gotten that far, but I’ll see what I can find out.
John
TJ Garland says
Lazy may have been a little strong. But,
Let’s see if they get off the benches at the park, walk 50 yards, and clean up their dog droppings.
From my knowledge of another dog park, I believe the city will have an annual upkeep of at least $50,000.
Can you get some estimates?
I was at the Parks Committee meeting last time, and no one wanted to talk about costs or dog owners obligations.
I still maintain all dogs need to be vaccinated, photographed, and muzzled before allowed in the park.
All dogs should wear a “members” tag and pay a $50 annual fee for park use. This is not a service that all taxpayers can use.
Requiring the dogs to be spayed or neutered should be encouraged.
Melanie Mayes says
Mr Garland, do you have dogs? Have you ever been to a dog park?
I am a frequent visitor to Knoxville’s dogparks, and I have never seen any dog sex, serious fights, abandoned pets, or a need for a muzzle. People who come to dog parks are generally responsible owners who care about their pets, know how their pets will behave in public, and who want them to have fun with other dogs. This is a different thing
for my dogs than taking them for a walk and isn’t relevant to any aspect of “lazinessâ€. Most pets there are typically spayed/neutered because dog parks don’t tend to attract irresponsible pet owners. Those folks don’t care enough about their pets to get them out to play.
As we are a community, we often have to pay for things we don’t use. Maybe you don’t use sidewalks. Maybe I don’t use schools or recreational ball fields. People who live in communities don’t get to opt out of everything they don’t approve of.
Dogparks are but one aspect of a high quality of life, and Oak Ridge desperately needs to improve its quality of life to attract new residents. Knoxville was recently named by Dog Fancy as the most dog friendly town in the southeast: http://www.mostpetfriendlycommunity.com/pet_articles/knoxville_named_southeasts_dogtown_usa.aspx. People love their pets and as you note, spend a lot of money and/or time making their pets happy. I am thrilled Oak Ridge is getting a dog park!
But Mr. Garland does bring up a good point – maintenance. I find the scale of the park to be very small, it’s less than an acre. It’s smaller than ANY of Knoxville’s parks which range from 1-4 acres. Parks do get worn out, muddy, and damaged easily, and the smaller the park, the more difficult it will be to maintain it as a quality environment. I think the city should seriously consider making this one larger. And if not, I hope that
this is the first of several. Haw Ridge “soccer†fields or near the Life Development Center would be great sites! What about some of the New
Horizon Center land?
TJ Garland says
No. Yes. The word “generally” is critical.
How do you know your dog is having fun in the park?
I realize the leash law restricts the exercise a dog requires every day.
Most dog owners shouldn’t be. I would be a bad owner if I did not have a yard to let the dog run.
It’s about best use of scarce monetary resources. Our taxes will rise next year. Our sewer and water rates will rise again this year. Our streets have hundreds of potholes. Our senior citizen center is falling down. Emergency services are over stressed.
The same Parks board wants to spend $3-5 million on bike paths for fewer than 100 bikers. One million dollars for repaying the parking lot at Jackson Square. Eight hundred thousand for the hiking trail by the lake. The dog park would be another luxury.
Most governments tend to minimize their real costs reported to the taxpayers.
All these projects have continuing annual maintenance costs. You would be hard pressed to get them from Collins. Will the dog owners pick up the droppings, sod new grass, and mow, repair the fences,,etc.?
Sure, quality of life is important, but in these very tough economic times( and getting worse) with a town in debt of at least $185,000,000 and more to come, shouldn’t we look at just the basics?
Ask the thousands of workers in town who are just barely putting gas in their cars and food on their table if they would like to have a dog park.
if there are that many dog owners that want a park, they should do it on their own without any city help, except providing the bare land.
God forbid we should not make Dog Fancy magazine.