Recently in palos verdes dog park Category

In the ongoing saga to establish a dog park somewhere on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the RPV City Council will discuss conceptual designs for Lower Hesse Park at its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting is at Fred Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., RPV.

A number of nearby residents have complained about adding a dog park there, however. Reportedly council members may direct staff to work on finding another spot for a dog park should that element not survive approvals for remaking Lower Hesse Park. (A dog park suggested for Grand View Park already has been dropped by planners.)

From Maureen Megowan, who with her husband Bruce has been spearheading this effort:

There were very few dog park supporters at the three public input meetings held this summer, and most of the input received was given by residents close by the proposed park who were vocal in their opposition to a dog park ....

The importance of (Tuesday's) meeting is magnified for two reasons. First, only negative comments about a dog park were received at the three public meetings. Secondly, we were recently informed that the County of Los Angeles would not even begin to review the feasibility of a dog park on the former Palos Verdes Landfill site until June 2012, two years from now.

.... Even if you believe that (Lower Hesse) may not be the appropriate location for a dog park, if you would like to see a dog park built somewhere on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, please voice your support .... If you want to see a dog park built on The Hill, now is when we need your support.

 For details, call or email Maureen at 310-541-6416; mmegowan@cox.net

If you want to learn more about dog parks -- especially the do's and don'ts -- dogparkUSA.com has compiled some tips you may find educational and helpful.

 

Daily Breeze reporter Melissa Pamer updates us on the effort to establish a dog park on the Palos Verdes Peninsula -- specifically on 3 acres of the 100+ acres of the former Palos Verdes Peninsula Landfill in Rolling Hills Estates.

Below, dog owners visit the beach below Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes. In the near future, though, they could find themselves facing citations for off-leashing their dogs on the property.

Steve McCrank / Staff Photographer

County officials say any dog park on landfill site will have to wait until at least 2012 -- and that's before a study of the issue could even begin.

Alternate (but much smaller) sites are now being explored in Rancho Palos Verdes for the project. But those already face neighborhood resistance.  

 

In a 4-1 vote Tuesday night, Rolling Hills Estates council members approved the idea of setting aside two to three acres of the 175-acre former Palos Verdes Landfill to establish a fenced-in dog park.

 

More than a dozen supporters turned out at the meeting to urge support for the concept  spearheaded by Bruce and Maureen Megowan who have been working for two years to get a dog park somewhere on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

(Read more on Maureen's blog.)

But this is not a "done deal."

The proposal now has to go before officials in Los Angeles County for review, possible studies, and then a final determination. And there also is fund-raising ahead -- Bruce says the park could cost between $70,000 and $100,000 when you factor in fencing, water, signage, ground cover and other expenses.

This all means that a dog park -- should it receive final approvals -- could be still 18 months to two years away from reality.

Bruce, however, is confident that funds can be found in grants and donations. He also suggested a park membership format be considered in which park users would be required to register and pay an annual fee -- $20? $50? -- to visit the dog park.

The advantage of that, Bruce said, is that the city could ensure that dogs coming into the facility all have licenses in their respective cities and are up-to-date on vaccinations. What do you think? Would you pay an annual fee to visit a dog park? 

Clearly the work's not over. Contact the Megowans if you'd like to help. Email them at either bmegowan@cox.net or mmegowan@cox.net.

Their full proposal is the result of much research by Bruce, who told me he studied dog parks throughout the nation and probably is something of an expert by now on issues such as design and materials.

I must say, I was impressed and a bit surprised by the enthusiastic support of the city council.

But then I'm used to Los Angeles and San Pedro -- where a more than decade-long effort to establish a permanent dog park continues to be stuck in quicksand, perennially on a back burner due to bureaucracy and, frankly, what appears to be simply a lack of political will on the issue.

(Yes, there is a temporary dog park in San Pedro, but at just 3/4 of 1 acre it's too small for safety when it's crowded and is vulnerable to being closed whenever the Port of L.A., which owns the space near the freeway and bridge onramps, needs the land.)

Read our earlier posts on the PV dog park. 

For those of you interested in the effort to establish an off-leash dog park on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the issue will come up at Tuesday (6/8) night's Rolling Hills Estates City Council meeting (The item is under #9, New Business, on the agenda.) 

Supporters are encouraging those who back the proposal to include a dog park on the former Palos Verdes Landfill site to attend the meeting. Apparently very few supporters have shown up in the past, which sends the message to council members that the issue is not particularly important to residents.

So if you care about this, now's the time to start showing up. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at Rolling Hills Estates City Hall, 4045 Palos Verdes Drive North (just west of Crenshaw Boulevard).

Here's the letter that went out from Maureen Megowan who, with her husband Bruce, is spearheading the movement:

... The City Council will vote as to whether to accept the Parks and Activities Commission's recommendation to submit a letter of support to the County of Los Angeles to construct a dog park on the former Palos Verdes Landfill site. See the dog park proposal for details ....

... This is a key vote in our attempt to get a dog park developed on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and it is important that as many dog lovers as possible attend the meeting to show support from the community. I have been very disappointed in the turn-out by dog park supporters at other city meetings and unless people are ready to start showing their support for this, we simply will not be successful. ... (T)he best turnout we have had at previous city meetings of dog park supporters has been 3 or 4.

They've put in a lot of work on this for more than a year now. If you support the idea, let them know by voting with your feet and coming to Tuesday's meeting. Below is an aerial shot of the location being considered.

Considering that there is apparently no serious possibility (at least anytime in the near future) of establishing a decent-sized permanent dog park in San Pedro -- to replace the 3/4-acre temporary space near the freeway now graciously on loan from the Port of Los Angeles -- I'd think there would be pretty widespread interest throughout the area in something like this.

But maybe not. And whether this is a suitable location or not I'm sure will be a matter of study and debate.  

If you can't attend the meeting, Maureen suggests e-mailing city officials with your comments:

RHE City Council member emails:

JudyM@ci.rolling-hills-estates.ca.us

JohnA@ci.rolling-hills-estates.ca.us

SusanS@ci.rolling-hills-estates.ca.us

SteveZ@ci.rolling-hills-estates.ca.us

FrankZ@ci.rolling-hills-estates.ca.us

City Manager email:

DougP@ci.Rolling-Hills-Estates.ca.us

 

 

 

A new round of meetings is coming up for Bruce and Maureen Megowan's year-long effort to establish an off-leash, fenced-in dog park somewhere on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

  

 

If you support this issue -- or would otherwise like to weigh in, pro or con -- you'll have a couple opportunities on Saturday and Tuesday:

 

 

• 9 a.m. to noon Saturday (5/15), community workshop, Fred Hesse Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes; preliminary plans for Grand View Park and Lower Hesse Park -- which both include possible dog park areas -- will be discussed. Other workshops will follow in July and September.
• 7 p.m. Tuesday (5/18), parks commission meeting, Rolling Hills Estates City Hall, 4045 Palos Verdes Drive North; continuation of a discussion about possible uses for the former Palos Verdes Landfill.

You can contact Maureen at 310-541-6416 or email her at mmegowan@cox.net.

For more information, see our former posts on the topic 

Bruce and Maureen Megowan will be speaking to the Rolling Hills Estates City Council members tonight regarding the establishment of a fenced-in, off-leash dog park on the Peninsula.

They're encouraging supporters to show up (on time), fill out a speaker's card and give it to the City Clerk so they can speak in favor of the proposal. It's on the agenda under audience items so that means it'll come up at the beginning of the meeting.

Here are the details:

 

When: 7:30 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, Feb. 9)

Where: RHE City Council Chambers, 4045 Palos Verdes Drive North, Rolling Hills Estates

Information: Maureen Megowan, 310-541-6416.  

 

For background, read this November 2009 Daily Breeze story

We received this today from Maureen Megowan, who along with her husband, Bruce, has been trying to establish a fenced-in, off-leash dog park somewhere on the Palos Verdes Peninsula:

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday January 5th, the Parks and Activities Commission of the City of Rolling Hills Estates will be holding their regular meeting at which my husband and I will be speaking regarding our proposal for a dog park at the former Palos Verdes Landfill site.  The meeting begins at 7:30 pm at the Rolling Hills City Hall at 4045 PALOS VERDES DRIVE NORTH  (just west of Crenshaw Boulevard ) , and this item is first on their agenda.

It would be very helpful if we could have as many dog park supporters as possible at this meeting, particularly Rolling Hills Estates residents.  Even if you do not live in Rolling Hills Estates, your participation at this meeting would be very helpful.  If you  would like to speak to this matter, please fill out a speakers request form when you arrive at the meeting. I woould encourage you to speak up and let the commission know of the support in the community for an off leash dog park.

Questions? Maureen can be reached at 310-541-6416.

 

See this Daily Breeze story for background.

 

 

Don't miss reporter Melissa Pamer's story today in the Daily Breeze about Bruce and Maureen Megowan's efforts to establish a dog park on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

 

 

 

Their inspiration? Pepper, who spun in circles when Melissa arrived to interview them at their home:

 

 

From the article:

Knock on the door of the Palos Verdes Estates home of Bruce and Maureen Megowan and you will be greeted with nonstop wiggling, whining, jumping and rolling over.

This irrepressible display of enthusiasm comes from Pepper, the couple's 4-year-old miniature Australian shepherd, who cannot be calmed by soothing entreaties from the Megowans or even by a visitor's embrace.

"You can see why we need a dog park. She has a lot of nervous energy," said Bruce Megown.

 

Read the rest of the story on the Daily Breeze Web site.

Photo by Steve McCrank/Daily Breeze staff photographer.

 

Read our earlier posts on the topic.

Here's also an interesting map by DB staff artist Paul Penzella on where local dog parks exist (the park at the bottom of Knoll Hill is temporary only; while there are no immediate plans to close it, the park is small -- under 1 acre -- and there has yet to be a permanent alternative location established in San Pedro ):

 

 

 

So here's some update info on last night's trio of meetings regarding dog- and park-related issues in the South Bay:

• Redondo Beach: Dog owners probably face an uphill battle to get the City Council there to overturn or relax a longtime ban on canines in that city's parks, according to a post this morning on the Daily Breeze Pipeline blog by Kristin Agostoni, our reporter who covered the meeting. Discussion was in response to two petitions calling for a change to the 1979 city ordinance that forbids dogs (leashed or otherwise) in municipal parks other than the designated off-leash dog park on Flagler & 190th. Councilman Bill Brand and Mayor Mike Gin raised the matter which now goes to the the city's Parks and Recreation Commission after a 4-1 vote moving it forward for more study last night. Commissioners will consider changing the rule for Czuleger Park only for now, perhaps as a pilot? But opposition remains strong to changing the citywide law, with Councilman Steve Aspel saying this: "Someone's leaving a thousand turds a day on top of the Esplanade. Ask our public works department." And there was this from Councilman Pat Aust, who cast the only dissenting vote:  "Parks are for people and kids. Zoos are for animals." **********(Read Kristin's follow-up story in Thursday's Daily Breeze.)
• Manhattan Beach: Council members there voted 4-1 to approve (with changes to the original proposal) an $18,200 off-leash dog run at Polliwog Park. It would be the city's third such spot, following similar set-ups at Live Oak and Marine Avenue parks.
• Rancho Palos Verdes: Bruce and Maureen Megowan report a generally positive response to proposals for dog parks at Lower Hesse Park and/or Grandview Park at last night's RPV City Council meeting. (See the full report and recap on Maureen Megowan's blog.) Council members authorized spending $50,000 to hire a designer to flesh out the proposed park designs (which  include other elements besides a dog park), but they stressed that this was only a "first step" and not a commitment to impelment the designs. The Megowans also raised questions about the proposed size of the dog parks (relatively small as drawn, I gather), adding that research shows the most successful (and safest) parks include at least 3 acres -- 2 acres for large dogs and 1 acre for a separate small dog space. There are still homeowner objections to address, however, and none of this will probably be a slam dunk. But other cities on The Hill reportedly are  entertaining proposals to establish a dog park as well, according to the Megowans. (Two suggested dog park sites were turned down by Rolling Hills Estates at a meeting this week, though, I'm told. But discussions continue on the possibility of using part of the PV Landfill area in that city.)

Email mmegowan@cox.net for more information.  

 

So, nothing firm on any of these proposals yet, but stay tuned.

  

 

As reported in the Daily Breeze (shameless plug, you really should get a subscription if you don't already have one), three meetings tonight could give dogs more park space in our local cities:

• Redondo Beach City Council, in response to a citizens' petition, will start talks about allowing leashed dogs in Czulegar Park. City codes currently prohibit canines (leashed or otherwise) in all RB parks, with the exception of the designated off-leash dog park adjacent to Dominguez Park. If the council agrees, the issue would likely go to the Parks and Recreation Commission for review. Tonight's meeting is at 6 p.m. at 415 Diamond St. (Streaming video of the meeting is available from the city's Web site.)
• Manhattan Beach leaders will consider an off-leash dog run for sprawling Polliwog Park. If approved, the $18,200 run would be the city's third such spot, following similar set-ups at Live Oak and Marine Avenue parks. Tonight's meeting is at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, 1400 Highland Ave. (Go to the city's Web site for information on how to view the meeting via cable or computer.)
• Rancho Palos Verdes City Council will weigh plans for improvements at Grandview Park and Lower Hesse Park, with both proposals including a possible fenced-in, off-leash dog park. (See our separate post below  for more details.) Mayor Larry Clark also will give a presentation on the need for a dog park on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Fred Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd. (You can also view a broadcast of the meeting on the city's Web site.)

If you live in these areas and care about the issue, you might want to attend one of the meetings in person to lend your voice to the discussion in public comment. And let us know if you attended any of the sessions. We'll have follows on the outcome of the meetings in the Daily Breeze.