Dog Park Project
The Club is soliciting new quotes from contractors to present to the HOA during the next budget session. The following plan has been submitted to the City of Mesa and approved by their Planning, Civil engineering and Water departments.
Triple Gate System
Dog Park Questions/Concerns
1) Why the Southwest basin? This space currently has block walls on two sides and a fence on the third. Adding a fence on the remaining side would enclose the area. Placing the Dog Park in any other basin would require at least double the fencing and cost. This area is the most remote basin in the neighborhood, affects the fewest number of homes, and provides more shade than other basins. The Southwest Basin is currently used by many dog owners (many use the space twice a day) and adding the fence would make the current situation safer for everyone.
2) Non-SVE Users – The Dog Park proposal calls for securing the main gate with a mechanical keypad. The HOA Board may decide to install FOB access, which would be the preferred, more secure method, since it offers an additional degree of monitoring and prevents non-SVE members from using the park.
3) Who will maintain the Dog Park? Members of the Village Rovers Dog Club perform the waste station maintenance at this location. Visitors to this basin always leave the space cleaner than they found it. In fact, Village Rovers Club members maintain all 8 waste stations throughout the community.
4) Aren’t dog parks actually bad for dogs? A New York Times article titled “The Dog Park Is Bad, Actually” is often quoted when considering the negative aspects of a dog park.
5) How many dogs are in the SVE community? Without doing a survey, it’s impossible to answer this question. But here are some stats related to dog ownership. More than half of older adults (55 percent) reported having a pet. Among pet owners, the majority (68 percent) had dogs - University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation. So that’s over 37% of older adults with dogs. Maybe higher for younger folks these days. Younger, like 55!
6) Parking –Mick Borton, Softball Chair says ”We don’t have a problem with the dog park proposal in this space, providing that parking is addressed.” Our response was that we will present the parking issue in a Dog Club meeting and ask our members to park on Acanthus during Softball Season to minimize any parking problems.
7) Insurance increase? Our HOA manager has inquired with our insurance carrier about a rider for the dog Park. Here is the exchange: "Our community is looking at establishing a dedicated dog park in the community. How will this impact our insurance coverage, and are there additional considerations regarding insurance with this new amenity? It would be locked, and only accessible by residents and their guests. – "The premium impact would be minimal and would depend on the value/cost of the dog park. Certainly, it does increase your Liability but as long as you make sure the rules are clearly posted and keep waivers on file for the residents utilizing the park it should be manageable".
8) Dog Park Hours? To be determined
9) Security Question - I've noticed a number of animal owners use the basin on the northeast corner of Guadaloupe and Fransworth. Some tend not to pick up and allow their animals to run off leash in the basin. People being people,..... what are the plans to secure this dog park preventing general public from invading and abusing the planned dog park? -Response:This is answered in # 2 above - Jim V
Additional comments from community members:
-This community is changing with younger people moving in and many will have Dogs. I have neighbors who live on the the golf course. They have no back yard to speak of, and low walls, not ideal for letting dogs lose. Communities need to change with times and those who are not necessarily dog lovers need to realize that.
- I am not for or against a dog park. But I thought I would add one more thing to think about. I once had a dog (since passed away) and she became sick one day. When I took her to the vet, he said there was a virus going around that was being spread in dog parks. Turns out I had taken her to a dog park a week before. So apparently there is a danger of catching virus or other sicknesses in dog parks since other dogs will be in close proximity, leaving droppings , etc that may contain virus . The virus can stay in the ground/grass for days .
- According to a 2018 survey conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association (N.R.P.A.), 91 percent of Americans believe dog parks provide benefits to their communities. The study found that the top two reasons responders cited for supporting dog parks were that 60 percent thought that they gave dogs a safe space to exercise and roam freely, and 48 percent felt that dog parks were important because they allowed dog owners to network and dogs to socialize.
There are plenty of common sense reasons to support a beautiful dog park in our community. If you have comments or concerns regarding the dog park please forward them to Jim Varner, Jim@CactusCreative.net
SVE Dog Park – Community Benefits
Goal - create a safe off-leash space in SVE for large and small dogs to exercise and socialize with other dogs and their owners. We believe that an SVE Dog Park will enhance the community in several ways.
1) Asset to the Dog community – The SVE dog park is a welcome benefit for existing pet owners and an asset when attracting new residents with pets. Residents will not have to leave the community to find an off-lease space for their pets.
In a survey by the Univ. of Michigan -More than half of older adults (55%) reported owning a pet, the majority (68%) owned dogs.
2) Exercise - Many dogs, large and small, require regular aerobic exercise which cannot be done while leashed. This activity helps eliminate pet boredom which can lead to unwanted behaviors like chewing and excessive barking.
3) Separate spaces – Residents with all sizes of dogs can safely exercise their pets. Two separate spaces will allow active and less active dogs to play and socialize together.
4) Reduce unsafe interactions - A dedicated dog park helps to reduce possible negative interactions between dogs and non-dog owners. The park provides a remote space away from walkers, bikers, and traffic. Dogs sense wary individuals and can overreact. Let’s reduce these encounters.
5) Donation Wall (similar to the pickelball entrance) - Residents can purchase a brick to honor current or past pets. We will use this space as a fundraiser to offset construction costs.
6) Create a Beautiful Space – Our plan is to make the dog park a visually attractive space by including a raised flower bed above the donationl wall at the entrance.
7) Community Building – The social aspect of dog owners meeting in the park creates a network for sharing resources such as dog sitting, dog walking, and sharing recommendations.
8) Enjoyment -A variety of reports show that older adults say having a pet helps them enjoy life, reduce stress, have a sense of purpose, maintain a routine, as well as connect with other people and be physically active. Of those older adults who lived alone or were in less than ideal health, nearly 75% said the pet helped them cope with physical or emotional symptoms.
9) Pet fix – A number of people visit the dog exercise area just to spend time with the dogs and owners. Some regularly bring treats even though they do not currently own a pet!
10) Training space – Several of the dogs who visit the space have been trained to sit and stay on command. The space could be used to host basic training classes for residents. As our dog trainer says – the dogs are at the finish line, the training is basically teaching owners to catch up!