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DOG PARK?

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Vivian Moon View Drop Down
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    Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 5:58pm

Posted: 12:00 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016

Dog park project closely scrutinized in Middletown

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN 

A group of young professionals are continuing efforts in their bid to develop a dog park in one of several parks in Middletown.

However, there are some in the community who want to make sure that the owners of Rover and Fido will be there with their pooper scoopers as well as ensuring the project will be sustainable and not burden the city with additional responsibilities and costs.

Young Professionals, a nonprofit organization led by Jeff Repper, Laura Desmond and Kevin Drake, has been working for the past few months with the city Park Board and the city staff. Repper said the group has also submitted a preliminary proposal to Middletown City Council with Sunset Park as their “primo spot” and also suggested Smith Park and the former Roosevelt School site.

Repper said the group has been working with the appropriate people to develop a detailed plan.

“Before we start fund-raising, we wanted to get the blessing from the city,” he said.

He said the group is working to develop an overall construction plan and a five-year maintenance budget. Repper said they have also received information from Hamilton and Centerville on how those cities developed their dog parks. Costs to develop a local dog park could cost as much as $100,000 and includes $20,000 in possible cost overruns.

“That’s a big round number, but we hope to get services and materials donated,” he said.

City Manager Doug Adkins recently told the Journal-News that he’ll be meeting with the Young Professionals later this month to continue discussions.

“They don’t have a firm plan or funding stream yet, so it’s all preliminary and discussion at this point,” he said. “We would certainly listen to concerns of nearby residents as we consider locations.”

While the park board has been receptive to the proposal, they have been very assertive to ensure that proper protocols are followed and due diligence is done, said Jason Jones, park board chairman.

“We made it very clear that they follow city protocol so that they are not rejected on a technicality,” Jones said. “They’ve done a really good job (in working out concerns and details with city staff ). We’re really excited about it and its potential.”

He said the park board only makes recommendations to City Council, which will ultimately have the final say.

Jones said the city budget does not have a lot of funding for parks and the park board does not want to add more more work for the city staff who maintain the parks.

“We want to see it (a dog park) be sustainable over a long period of time,” Jones said. “We’re on board, but they need to follow all of the steps.”

As for a location, several parks have been suggested such as Smith Park, Sunset Park, Gladell Park and Damon Park as well as the old Roosevelt School site that is being acquired by the city through a land swap with Middletown City Schools. In the five years he has been on the park board, Jones said there have been two other attempts to establish a dog park but there was no follow through on those proposals.

Jones said Smith Park is the busiest park and may not be suitable for a dog park. He added that Gladell and Damon parks also may not be suitable for other physical reasons.

“My gut feeling is that the Roosevelt site might be the best place for a dog park,” he said. “Anything we can do to improve the image of Middletown is why we’re here.”

In a survey of residents done several years ago, the top amenity desired in Middletown was a dog park.

Resident wants accountability

While he is not opposed to the a proposed dog park in the city, a Kenwood Drive resident said he wants to know who’ll be responsible for ongoing costs when the city has struggled with getting streets paved. He also wanted to know who to call about litter, noise, parking and cleaning up after the dogs.

“I want to make sure there the accountability is in place,” David Brown said. “We need to have a place to call when there are issues.”

Brown said he would like to ask some questions before the park board makes a recommendation and council considers the proposal. He said he has done some research on what needs to be considered or completed to establish a dog park.

“When I looked this up, I found there’s a lot that goes into something like this,” he said.

Brown said he’s concerned about owners cleaning up after their dogs, adding that he has yet to see anyone in Sunset Park to pick up the dog waste and has seen very few people carrying a bag when they walk their dogs there.

He said he has cleaned up the trash left by soccer and lacrosse teams that use the former Roosevelt athletic field in the past and said he won’t clean up after dogs.

Sunset Park and Smith Park and the Old Roosevelt school yard are people parks,” Brown said. “A dog park is a huge commitment of time and money. I just can not see where it is going to come from in Middletown.”

Hamilton effort successful

Officials in Hamilton say the Bark Park that opened in 2014 has been a success.

Steve Timmer, who was Hamilton’s 2014 Citizen of the Year, said his greatest accomplishment was getting the Bark Park up and running.

Timmer, who is now the director of the nonprofit Hamilton Parks Conservancy that replaced the city parks department last year, said “the dog park is one of the most used assets in the city’s parks system.”

He said that the dog park is quite a desired asset and that he periodically receives requests for additional dog parks in Hamilton.

City officials said with the assistance of the Hamilton Community Foundation more than $60,000 was raised and that the project received donations of materials along with a lot of volunteer labor.

 

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VietVet View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 6:23pm
"In a survey of residents done several years ago, the top amenity desired in Middletown was a dog park"

Really? A dog park takes top priority as to wants for the residents? How many of the 48,000 did they ask in this survey? What were the survey choices and what segment of the population was targeted? If not all levels and a sizable number, then data is skewed.

"“Anything we can do to improve the image of Middletown is why we’re here.”"
Yes, by all means, a dog park will do wonders for the image of this city despite all the other problems that have been created. To improve the city image, the dog park will do as much to bring us back from the brink as the artsy/culture attempt the downtown has done. I look for a complete turnaround.


And now, the reality of the situation is brought forth........

"Brown said he’s concerned about owners cleaning up after their dogs, adding that he has yet to see anyone in Sunset Park to pick up the dog waste and has seen very few people carrying a bag when they walk their dogs there.
He said he has cleaned up the trash left by soccer and lacrosse teams that use the former Roosevelt athletic field in the past and said he won’t clean up after dogs."

And this is what will happen when the doggie park walkers use the facility. The Young Professionals will get it started and the residents in the immediate area will be left to clean up the trash and dog messes. Put the park in and stand by and watch what happens.......so if the dog walkers won't clean up after themselves, the residents are stuck with the task if the cleanup is to happen at all. Speculation now.....potential reality later.

I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Factguy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Factguy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 7:20pm
The city of Middletown drafted the few individuals called The Young Professionals. 

The city has wanted a dog park for years, and are behind all of this. As far as the survey, with the average age so old in Middletown, the dog park was not rated number 1 nor was there ever a survey ever done. Closing Sunset and focusing on a dog park irks me and sveral others who do support Doug Adkins, and dislike the false tale  a handful of young professionals are pitching the city for a dog park. 

There isn't a group of young professionals, this also is a creation of city hall. 

Get some business in, then the professionals, then think about a dog park after the streets are repaired and taxes not hidden in water bills. Wonder how the young professionals like paying such high water bills which will be increasing when Rin Tin Tin goes to the dog park and the young professionals get grass all over their Lauren pants.  

If there were a survey, it would show the majority want roads repaired, not a dog park.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 8:16pm
Thanx for the clarification fact guy
Makes me sad that little is really changing in the Donham bunker
Dog park---open container ordinance down in Wonderland
Neither will move the needle much
So--why not put the dog park down at the un-used AK bicentennial commons bandstand area?
That way, the beautiful people can park in the former downtown, buy a craft brew or two, then parade on down to puppy land to suds it up and show their exotic pedigrees?

And maybe put a fee/permit on dogs using the facility with a nice % going to animal rescue and neutering?
Surely none of the doggy expense will be funded by city tax $$

And put the FREE needle exchange for heroin users close by, so the junkies can nod off healthier while their dogs frolic in the park!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 10:34pm
I am unsure who these "YOUNG" professionals are, but if Jeff Repper is Attorney Ted Repper's son he must be in his sixties!!!
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 409 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 04 2016 at 9:25am
There is a park (Miami River Preserve) available on N Verity Pkwy at Access 2 that is available and shouldn't bother anyone.
Every morning is the dawn of a new error...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 04 2016 at 9:59am

Every year City Hall request volunteers and donations to upgrade our local parks because City Hall stated they do not have the manpower or the money for the needed upgrades.

Why must their be a Dog Park at Sunset Park when we have many out of the way parks that could be used…like Sherman Park just a few blocks away.
Didn’t volunteers just do a major trim, replant and cleanup on Sunset Park a couple of years ago?

The dog walkers do not clean up the dog poop at Middletown Cemetery or Smith Park why should we believe they will clean up after their dogs now?


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Factguy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 04 2016 at 12:51pm
Millennials value good schools and easy traffic access more than a dog park. A golf course ranks much higher. Weatherwax more valuable a magnet than a dog park, now gone to MetroParks. Throw it out, something will stick, page 23, city Master Plan under Gillleland.

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2014/05/what-millennials-wantand-why-cities-are-right-pay-them-so-much-attention/9032/
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Neil Barille Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 04 2016 at 9:25pm
The city probably wants the dog park because it's low hanging fruit -- an "accomplishment" that can be touted in the media and at performance review time.  Compared to the curing cancer equivalent (paving our roads), the dog park can be done without too much money or time.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 05 2016 at 12:52pm
Ohio is among the top 5 in the nation losing population more than gaining. A dog park is going to bring more residents in than having good roads and schools in a state losing residents?

Hello Donham, is anyone in the office, or is it still a holiday.

http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/ohio-ranked-in-two-states-for-people-moving/npxC9/ 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 05 2016 at 1:31pm
hey--I'll take any fruit possible. While either the open container or dog park are nbd, any improvements in city quality of life are a step in the right direction. Will either make much difference in the big picture? Probably not.

Schools
Quality of life amenities(retail, entertainment, dining)
Public safety(find it humorous that those strongly against marijuana want to give out free needles to heroin users--isn't heroin use a crime?)
Street/sewer repair

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 05 2016 at 3:29pm
Quality of life?...pleeeze...Every time they want something we hear "it's a quality of life issue".
We have 30 parks in this town that City Hall can't afford to take care of and a million dollar bike path that seldom gets used. 

Why should taxpayers pay the upkeep of a doggie park for 25 people that think they are so special they deserve a special play ground for their dogs while others in the neighborhood get to smell the problems they leave behind. 
Before City Hall votes yes maybe someone should take a look at the books.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Analytical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 07 2016 at 10:30am
It's now time to focus on the sorry state of the national economy, the falling stock market, China, ISIS, insurmountable debt, etc., rather than admonishing City Manager Adkins.  Yes, Middletown has its' share of concerns.  But, all of them combined are miniscule compared to what happens in Obama land.  Middletown does have a glimmer of hope for the future. As for Washington, D.C., its' nearing the final stages of bureaucratic destruction.  There is strength in unity.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 07 2016 at 11:25am
"It's now time to focus on the sorry state of the national economy, the falling stock market, China, ISIS, insurmountable debt, etc., rather than admonishing City Manager Adkins"

It would be easy to whitewash the on-going destruction of this city for the past 30 years or so. We could divert our attention to the national scene to minimize and excuse the poor shape this city is in. Any comparison to a known which is much worse makes some disasters look tame in that respect. We could compare Adkins the city leader to Obama the national leader and all of a sudden, with Obama's poor performance on the national scene, Adkins looks like a genius........but it isn't reality is it.

The reality of the situation is that we can't just ignore what is going on here by just looking the other way and to the national front. Won't do any good as the problems will still be here for the people to confront on a daily basis. Some city leader supporters wish we would start looking the other way and not publicize the actual failures and stupid ideas that have been spawned over the years. Not gonna happen here. We are about reality, not pipedreams and candyland scenarios as some would like to believe as they interject their "everything is beautiful" (que the song) propaganda" on this forum. It ain't close to being "beautiful" in this city. That happened a long time ago for those not lucky enough to have known it then.

"Middletown does have a glimmer of hope for the future"

I'll give you a "glimmer" and nothing more. That may be an exaggeration. It really doesn't have to get to the glimmer stage. If competent people were in office and employed by this city and they had the correct agenda, it would be more than a glimmer but the very people who some deem as saviors of the city, are the very ones who are inhibiting it's progress as we speak.

"There is strength in unity"

There will never be unity between those running this city and the people of the city because those running the show refuse to care about and deliver against what most want for this city. The leaders, including council, have their own agenda to satisfy the small contingent who are the friends of city hall and could care less what the other 99% want. Been that way for decades and it is getting worse.
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 07 2016 at 9:32pm
unity = inclusion

Trump vs Clinton = spider stays home
they belong on the same ticket
He buys influence she sells influence
they both win we all lose
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