They do get letters

Saw this on the Parks & Rec Comment page and thought it was good enough to reproduce here. Thanks to whomever wrote it.

I am a resident of the Woodstock area, right across from Woodstock park. From the day we moved in last August I noticed what a lovely place it was for the dog owners that frequented it. People are conscientious about keeping an eye on their dogs and making sure everyone is safe. The organization of our park has the children's play area on the opposite side of the hill from where the dogs play. The geography of the park makes it an excellent area for off leash, since the dogs are much more interested in each other than the kids. My concern is that your committee is forming policy without actually seeing the interactions of dogs and people. I would ask you to come to the park one afternoon and just watch. No media event, or show - just a sunny afternoon - I believe you would be impressed by what you see. A community coexsisting as it was meant to be. Without the afternoon hours available I believe you will be hard pressed to find anyone in the park. This is a sad state for a county that charges a surplus for community services and then constricts who can use those services. The other day I watched two small children, no more than 4 or 5 playing completely out of sight of their parents. I watched for sometime as they played and still no sign of attending adults. The only adults I did see were those making sure that their dogs stayed away from them. In speaking with a woman who is in the park regularly with her dog, she explained that this same family was one that complains at every meeting that their children are "attacked by dogs every time they are in the park" I would think if this mother was really worried, she would not let her children be completely out of sight. Now should all children be confined because of the actions of one family? No. The majority of parents are responsible, attentive and involved. I would say the same is very true of dog owners. Parks are a part of the community and should be for all to enjoy, two and four legged alike.