Park district scraps proposed dog park
'We're not in the business of shoving things down people's throats.' - Mark Malloy Park board chair
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

The people have spoken, Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District board and staff listened, and now local dog owners will have to look elsewhere for a place to take their pets.

A proposed off-leash dog park will no longer be considered for Community Center Park, according to comments board members made to the Camarillo Acorn. The decision to halt plans for the 1acre dog park was triggered in large part by the vehement opposition of neighboring residents at a public meeting on Feb. 13 at Camarillo Community Center.

"We've already prepared a draft report indicating that we will no longer consider developing the park at the Community Center Park," said park district general manager Dan LaBrado. "It's not our goal to upset the community. We're trying to provide a need, and it became very, very apparent that this is not the right location."

Board chair Mark Malloy and directors Patty Hamm, Bob Kelley and Elaine Magner left the meeting resigned that the dog park must wait another day.

"This hasn't gained the interest and excitement and that general mass of people needed to move forward," Malloy said. "Just the opposite's happened. . . . We're not in the business of shoving things down people's throats. We're in the fun business. We don't want to create a lot of negative feelings from anything we're going to do."

The proposed dog park will likely be officially scrapped at the next meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Wed., March 5 in the senior center.

"I can't imagine that we're still considering that site for the dog park considering what we saw at the meeting," Hamm said. "It was quite disheartening that we had such anger in that room. Those people took it as a personal attack against their homes and their families, which it was never meant to be."

Kelley and Magner agreed with their colleagues.

"It's my belief, speaking only for myself, that the public has stated its case about as well as it can be stated," Kelley said. "I know that this board does really listen to the residents."

"We do need a dog park, but I'm not sure that that's the place for it," Magner said. "We need to think of alternatives."

Board member Paul Rockenstein, who didn't attend the Feb. 13 meeting, said he spoke with LaBrado about the public's input.

"My thinking at his point is it has to be re-examined and talked about because obviously there's a lot of dissent about it," Rockenstein said.

Board members still want to see a dog park in the center of town since the one at Camarillo Grove Park is underutilized because it is too remote for most residents.