Board wants a dog park

Staff

Published Thursday, October 2, 2008

The Austin Park Board will recommend to the Austin City Council a dog park be constructed in the southwest.

At the Park Board’s meeting Wednesday, the members unanimously voted to make the recommendation for Monday night’s regular meeting of the council members.

Kim Underwood, interim director of the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, conducted a survey of residents living near the proposed site near the wastewater treatment plant and St. Mark’s Lutheran Home.

The comments were reviewed by the Park Board. Darlene Thaisen, Park Board chairperson, said only three of the 18 responses received were against having the dog park at the location.

Dan Heins, Park Board member, made the motion to recommend to the council members to construct the city’s first-ever dog park, and Peter Christopherson seconded it.

The Heins-Christopherson motion applied restrictions to the proposal. Among the provisions, there must be an annual review of the dog park’s operation, and the park’s existence is subject to any plans the city of Austin has for expanding the wastewater treatment plant.

Also, pet-owners will be required to maintain the dog park.

A group of pet-owners has pledged to raise money to defray the costs of the facility’s construction estimated at $10,000.

The proposed park has been reduced in size from three to two acres. It will be fenced and contain separate spaces for large and small pets.

The motion was unanimously approved.

In other action, the Park Board welcomed Norman Hecimovich and Linda Maschka to the meeting.

Hecimovich, a Third Ward Council Member, presented Maschka with a flag box gift on behalf of local veterans organizations, the PRF department and Hecimovich personally.

Maschka’s husband, Dennis L. Maschka, long-time PRF director, died earlier this summer.

Hecimovich said the presentation was an “honor and a privilege.”

The recipient thanked Hecimovich for the gift. “It means a lot,” she said.

Hecimovich praised the deceased PRF director for his many efforts to make the city a better place.

The Park Board has begun its search for a new director. Underwood was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the former director’s death as an interim.

Park Board members are interviewing current PRF employees to ascertain what kind of director they want the city to hire.

Larry Dolphin, director of the J. C. Hormel Nature Center, reported on the recent RE-Fest clean energy celebration at Riverland Community College.

According to Dolphin, revised attendance figures suggest 1,800 people attended the Sept. 20 events.

Dolphin told the Park Board members plans are already being made to hold a second RE-Fest in 2009.

Park Board chairperson Thaisen and member Grethen Ramlo reported attending the function as members of Spruce Up Austin, Inc. and added their praise for a job well done to create more awareness for green life-styles.

A motion by Park Board member Dave Ruzek and a second from member Christopherson was unanimously approved to allow the purchase of new volleyball equipment.

Underwood made the recommendation to purchase new lightweight volleyball standards needed for the city’s popular recreation pursuit.

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