After seven public meetings and countless hours logged by staff and consultants, the Park District of Oak Park appeared ready to turn a corner in its decision making process for two sites for permanent dog parks in the village last week.
However, whatever the park board’s decision in the next two to six weeks, no definitively final decision is likely until next year after the master planning processes for Taylor Park, Maple Park and Ridgeland Common are concluded.
In fact, consultant John MacManus of Altamanu, a landscape architecture and urban design firm, got around to presenting his recommendations for permanent Oak Park dog park sites to two dozen people last Wednesday at Stevenson Center, he told his audience that his recommendation was not a specific park site. Rather, MacManus said, Oak Park and its neighboring communities needed to approach the Cook County Board to establish a regional dog facility on Cook County Forest Preserve property”preferably in Thatcher Woods.
Such a development, he said, would give dog owners in Oak Park and neighboring villages much needed additional options, and would also obviate the need for a dedicated park in River Forest. The park district there is currently struggling to identify an acceptable site for its own dedicated dog park in the face of severe space constraints.
When asked for a show of hands of those who would support an effort to establish a regional dog facility, regardless of whatever local municipalities did, all but two of 26 people present at Stevenson last Wednesday raised their hands.
Space, cost limiting factors
While he noted that there are several workable sites in Oak Park, MacManus stressed that truly dog friendly areas featuring adequate space to allow the maintenance of grass surfaces, as opposed to wood chips or concrete, would require 20 acres. That, he noted, simply isn’t financially feasible in a built up community like Oak Park.
“I would love to stand here and show you the 20 acre park that I’m giving you”with a swimming pool,” MacManus quipped.
Ridgeland Commons was the first choice of the vast majority of people, said MacManus, not for its permanent smaller enclosed facility, but for the temporary Dog Park Plus weekend use of the two softball fields. The site is by far the largest enclosed space available for running dogs, and is prized by members of Friends of Oak Park Dogs.
“The overriding sense is that Dog Park Plus is a great thing,” concurred Commissioner Tom Philion the following night at the park board’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
Taylor Park was a strong, though problematic, second choice, one which MacManus termed both “a consensus site” and “a compromise site.” Of all the parks considered, Taylor was by far the most contentious.
Many people polled said Taylor was their first choice if Ridgeland Common didn’t have Dog Plus. Others flatly opposed any dog park there, citing concerns over the safety of children playing in a nearby tot lot, unsightliness and the fact that the park was designed by noted landscape architect Jens Jensen.
Maple Park, which runs four blocks from Garfield Street to Roosevelt Road adjacent to Harlem Avenue, was considered the best site of all by MacManus, both for its size (.31 acres), its location away from residences, and its spacial relationship to the rest of the park layout. However, support for the park was tepid during the public comment period. It was only after a public meeting was held there in April that strong local support began being voiced.
Sitting like a wild card in the midst of the Oak Park park board’s decision-making process is the master planning process scheduled for all three parks in 2007. Several commissioners noted that the situation was fluid. However, when Philion asked MacManus about the temporary nature of any Taylor Park site, MacManus replied, “Put in the temporary facility, and see how the master plan goes.”
While acknowledging the concerns of parents regarding the dog site’s proximity to an existing tot lot, board President David Kindler said the tot lot had its own flaws, including being too small and poorly placed.
“There’s a lot of places where the tot lot could go,” said Kindler.
MacManus added that eventual master plans might add a soccer field at Field Center, which, he said, could have “a lot of implications for Taylor Park.”
In the meantime, demand for more dog facilities is strong. Park District of Oak Park Executive Director Gary Balling said Tuesday that there are now 250 dog owners registered to use the existing facilities, with more on a growing waiting list.
Kindler said he wasn’t willing to rush any decision, telling his colleagues that if all the stakeholders in the dog park issue weren’t yet ready in two weeks, the board could put off a decision for one more month.
Regional park requires group effort
Noting that well-meaning and dedicated individuals have spoken with county officials in recent months, MacManus called for a formal committee comprised of elected and appointed officials from several municipalities to lobby the county board. Such a group, he insisted, would have the “gravitas” required to sway key county board members.
Balling said Monday that the district is seeking someone “with the networking ability” to lead that process, saying, “That’s what we’ll ultimately need.”
Among the municipalities Balling envisioned joining Oak Park and River Forest in their lobbying effort are Forest Park, Elmwood Park, Berwyn and Maywood. So far, he said, he’s spoken with River Forest Park District Executive Director Tom Grundin.
“A regional facility would be terrific,” Grundin said last Thursday.
He and the River Forest park board have been dealing with the task of identifying potential sites to propose for use as dog facilities since December. During that process that board has been faced with both vociferous opposition and strong support for the use of park space on the village’s south side.
At the River Forest park board’s May 1 meeting, President Steve Dudek stated his strong preference that the county provide the use of land for a dog facility, saying, “Ultimately that would be the best of all worlds for everyone.”
“I think it would be absolutely terrific if there was a dog park in the forest preserves,” agreed River Forest Village President Frank Paris, who added that he’d be willing to serve on any committee if asked.
