Sunset today is at 7:44 P.M.
Tonight's sunset is at 7:44 P.M., yet off-leash hours don't start until 8 P.M. Boy how the City has bent over backwards to share a common resource. If you don't like exercising in a dark park, I guess you're just ungrateful.
All this generosity despite the fact that most parks are demonstrably almost empty all day long this time of year..."shared" parks and non-shared parks alike.
I've been told that hours at Irving Park have been extended to start at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. This whole mess started when a small number of people complained loudly and often. It's pretty obvious what it will take to get usage of our parks back...
posted by 2pups Link
3 comments
3 Comments:
Yes, it is a small number of people who did this to us. But dog owners either cannot motivate themselves to organize or don't really care b/c Parks and Rec and the community are not hearing from enough of us. Get it together or this will be you and yours dogs life forever!
There are many of us working on the OLAC committee who are dedicated to finding a workable solution. This doesn't mean we're going to win everything we want. But we are trying to work within the system. I remain positive that we will come up with a workable system.
Sincerely,
Scott Jensen
North Portland Rep to OLAC
Thanks, Scott, for all the work you and the rest of the OLAC has done. I know you have gone through piles of data trying to work out a solution to this problem. The perception continues, however, that dog owners are somehow just goofing off when they take their dogs to parks and if they would just abide by some (exceedingly) strict rules, everything will be fine.
But these rules aren't reasonable. The alloted time for off-leash is now after sunset. By not providing daylight hours for this activity, it's as if the City is saying "If you don't feel safe in the park after dark, don't go then." But dog owners aren't taking their dogs to the park for "a bit of fun". Though not quite a chore, it isn't an optional activity, especially if you have no yard and a dog that requires a lot of activity.
Frustration with the program is magnified when such mixed signals are presented. Several people in my area have complained about the limited park usage only to be told that "this is only a one-year test, hold tight and a more workable solution will be in place after the test is over". And yet, in a park in another area of town, the hours have mysteriously been changed before the test period has been completed.
Post a Comment
<< Home