The Observation Deck

Call For Support!!!
The Lakewood Dog Park and Mayor Thomas George, the Mayor of Lakewood, need your show of support!
Rocky River is, once again, complaining about the dog park and wants to shut it down. Mayor George wants to keep the park open. Please help the dog park and the mayor, who needs to know he is not alone, by coming to the next council meeting in Lakewood this Monday evening, June 18, at 7:30 PM. Here is a link to the Lakewood City website with information: http://www.ci.lakewood.oh.us/citygovern ... endar.html.
Though the Dog Park is not on the agenda for that night, we ask that all who can attend to sign up at the beginning of the meeting to say a few words of support at the end of the meeting. Also, please bring a photo or printed picture of Cait and Mr. Adams so we can make this more personal. If you sign up to speak, we would like you to say something like how much Cait and Mr. Adams enjoys the park (hold up your photo) and that you support the mayor in his efforts, etc. Please keep statements brief and supportive only! Moreover, if you live in Rocky River, please make an effort to attend and let Lakewood know how much you want to keep the park open.
You do not have to be a Lakewood resident to attend the meeting, we need as many people as we can get there as a show of support!
REGULAR MEETINGS OF CITY COUNCIL
1ST & 3RD MONDAYS AT 7:30 P.M.
HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS
MUNICIPAL BUILDING, 12650 DETROIT AVENUE
I hope to see you there!

August, Calpurnia and Picasso

Thanks for the post Jim - we need all the help we can get!

The last meeting the dog park group had with the mayor was very interesting. He filled us in on the proposals that the Rocky River mayor suggested to solve the "dog park problem":

1. That we move the dog park to another location
(no suggestions as to where they would like it moved to that I can post on a family friendly website)

2. That we sell the piece of land that the dog park occupies to Rocky River
(which they would in turn donate to the metro park - as if the metro park really wants a gravel pit next to a water treatment plant)

3. That we change it to a playground for children
(because they don't make any noise while playing - at least mine doesn't )

4. That we close the dog park
(and furthermore ask permission from the city of Rocky River anytime we want to do anything at all since they have infinitely better judgment than the citizens of Lakewood)

I was happy when I left the meeting because the mayor said "no , no , no and absolutely no" to all of the above suggestions. He needs and deserves our support in standing up to a regional bully.

Did I mention that Rocky River doesn't reimburse Lakewood for all of the times that the Lakewood Fire Department responds to calls in Rocky River because they are woefully understaffed?


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Jennifer

I am still trying to figure out why we are overreacting to Rocky River anything.

I have walked all the streets in Rocky River trying to get someone on the record for a story we have been working on. No one seems to hear the dogs.

As I mentioned to Stan this morning, I live on Riverside and hear no barking from the Dog Park, but I do get dogs barking right before dogs are fed at the shelter. You can set your watch by it.

FWIW


.

This was on TV, 19 I think, last night. They couldn't get anyone across the divide to speak on camera either. As if anyone on this side of the river would pull the old "put a bag of dog poop on the porch, light it on fire and ring the doorbell" trick. They must think we're vindictive monsters over here . . . .

Jim,

Kevin Butler sent out a link to a recent article in Westlife (which I had never heard of). It names some of the RR folks who are trying to close the dog park. It seems to be the cause of Ward 3 councilman Frank Gollinger. The article also reports that there is going to be (or has been) a meeting between both cities legal council to discuss noise violation issues. I don't think RR can force Lakewood to close the park, but I don't really know. I do know that extensive noise testing was conducted prior to the approval of the dog park, and I'm trying to get in touch with Dennis Dunn for comment.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.westlifenews.com/2007/06-13/dogpark.html

Mike Deneen has been handing out fliers at the dog park to both Lakewood and RR residents asking them to attend their respective city council meetings. Hopefully the RR residents can speak to value of the dog park.

Jennifer

Westlife is a good old newspaper of Rocky River, Westlake, Bay. I was good friends with the owner that recently sold have have tow good friends working for it.

I think I am missing the point.

No one can get a response outside of the councilman that has made this an issue.

I live above the dog park and hear nothing from there but from the shelter next to it, only when dogs are being fed, and a new dog is introduced. It has never been as loud or crazy as the dogs in the neighborhood, and it is only RR residents complaining.

Let's see how it turns out.


.

Thanks for the scoop on West Life. I plan to contact the author of the article to fill him in on some key facts that he may not be aware of.

I was sad to read in Mr. Saylor's article that RR councilman Gollinger has characterized Lakewood's response to the noise complaints as inadequate and insensitive. What was not reported in the article is that good faith efforts have been made; in addition to the increased signage, the dog park hours have been cut, and newsletters have been sent to dog park members asking them to make every effort to keep the noise down. Unfortunately, most people who use the dog park are not members, but efforts are being made. AND constructive suggestions are welcome!

I have yet to hear of councilman Gollinger making any constructive suggestions to resolve the problem; his only solution is shut the park down. Hopefully the RR residents who use the park can help him find a more sensitive stance on this issue.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I think many people are unaware of the situation. I would hate to loose a resource like the dog park just because people who love it and use it didn't get the opportunity to speak up in time.

Jennifer

You should get fair treatment from WestLife, there are looking ot get back into the Lakewood market from what I hear.

I am still curious is this a new thing?

Sitting on the Edge of the Emerald Canyon and having to look and hear Rocky River I have a couple problems I would like to bring up at RR council meetings.




.

Jim,

This really came to a boil when Frank Gollinger was elected to city council a little more that a year ago. It was really his first order of business. Some have suggested* it was one of the reasons that he ran for council to begin with. It seems that he has a few constituents who have major complaints about the park, and have since it opened in '03.
I have also been told* that it is a very very small number of folks who are close friends of his that have made this an issue.

Last year I was invited by Mike Deneen and August Armstrong to attend a meeting with mayor George and the Director of Parks and recreation (his name escapes me at the moment). I was there there as a representative of the board of directors of CCLAS (Lakewood animal shelter).

We discussed the complaints expressed by mayor Bobst, and that she had asked him (with all seriousness) to move the park, sell RR the land, change to a playground or close it! Mayor George calmly told her "no" ( I might not have been so calm, but then I'm not in politics, well at least not yet . We discussed ways to cut down on the noise as a good neighbor would. I listed the steps taken in an earlier post. We did discuss types of sound barriers including landscaping, which the mayor thought the city may be able to pay for ( I think RR should pay for it personally). One problem is, erecting a wall or planting high shrubs makes the park less safe. Yes, I know people are there with their dogs, but not everyone has an attack poodle. This idea can be revisited, and probably will. There are other sound barrier methods that you need an engineering degree to describe - theses were going to be investigated, but i don't know if they have been.

As I mentioned in an earlier post there was extensive noise testing done before the park was opened to verify that it would not violate noise ordinances. I don't know if that is enough legal ground to keep councilman Gollinger at bay. My fear is that RR will sue the city and we'll be forced to closed the park, not on legal point, but because the lawsuits cost the city financially.

* I am citing an unnamed not unknown source. I will name the source if that person permits me to do so. I know this person to be very well informed and trustworthy.

Jennifer


If I understand you correctly one of the best things to happen in Lakewood and the area is under attack for strictly political reasons from a neighboring city!

Again I can not stress enough I think very little barking is coming from the dog park.

As for barriers, I would have thought Rocky River would have learned with the freeway barriers. Those actually projected freeway noise to areas that never suffered with it before!

I really think we have biiger problems than spending money to make Rocky River believe it is quieter.

How about taking the money from the sound barrier and building a water feature for the dogs to play in during the hot days of summer?

FWIW


.

Jim,

I don't mean to sound paranoid, but yes I do believe that this is purely politics. If there really were that many people who wanted the park closed, why aren't they speaking out? Where is the petition with the mile long list of names?

At a RR council meeting Mr. Gollinger asked the law director to obtain the minutes from the Lakewood council meeting that approved the park to try to find a legal loophole! (October 2nd, 2006)

Many people in Lakewood, and on state level (Mike Skildell) worked for years getting signatures, doing research, and scraping up funding to make this gem a reality. I really irks me that this councilman and mayor think they can just undo this project by asking mayor George over lunch!

Last summer at the annual dog swim I was accosted by a woman who was furious that we would "defile the very pool that her granddaughter swims in" but letting filthy mongrels swim in it. Mike and I tried to explain that the pool would be drained and cleaned before next year but she just read us the riot act! My point is some people just want to have something to complain about for reasons real or imagined.

As for other things to do with the money they want spent on barriers - start with a water feature, then enlarge the shelter, then give shelter staff a raise, Elaine and crew have a thankless job! Oh, and how about training theapy dogs for Lakewood hospital and area nursing homes - I can go on...

Jen

Looking up Councilman Gollinger's address, he appears to live a street away from the valley's edge ... so he's in the neighborhood. Maybe he just doesn't like dogs, or has a few well-heeled (pun intended) constituents who are backing him who don't like dogs. And of course, if they really dug around into the issue, I bet the clear majority of Rocky River residents are content with the dog park, but there's probably a handful (or less) who don't like it and who are agitating the most for its closure.

Frankly, I take my dog there a lot ... and there is not a lot of barking. Most of the dogs play very well with each other, and while there is occasional barking, most owners immediately intervene if it looks like the play is inappropriate or getting out of hand (though some don't!). A children's playground would make just as much noise if not MORE!

I do hope Mayor George continues to ignore the "nattering nabobs of negativity" in Rocky River who fail to see that the park adds a great deal to the quality of life in the west shore region ... because PLENTY of Rocky River dogowners use the park, as do owners from Cleveland, Bay, and Westlake (Avon has their own dog park, though it also has to move ... not because of noise, but because of bad drainage ... though they're having a hard time finding a new location because there's a good deal of "NIMBYS" out there, too).

Jim, you ought to stick a tape recorder in your front yard one afternoon or evening and record a period of time ... then play that at the city council meeting, pointing out that you live right on the edge of the valley and the noise isn't bad. I can't imagine the accoustics of the valley would carry sounds only to Rocky River!

First let me say, I'm a cat person. But given my feelings on what I believe is the true nature of this issue, I offer the following recommendations...

Plan A: Go ahead and move the dog park up the hill. However, once the new park is complete, it should be equipped with a large trebuchet with which those using the park can fling the natural by-products over the river.

Plan B: Move the dog park and re-zone the land for agricultural use. If they think the dogs are intolerable, let's see what they think of roosters, chickens, cows and sheep. I for one think the kids would love to have a petting zoo.

Plan C: Keep the park where it is and tell Rocky River to mind it's own business and put up their own sound barriers.

oh, and by the way...

I was accosted by a woman who was furious that we would "defile the very pool that her granddaughter swims in"

I would say the bigger question is: How can a respectable owner let their dog swim in the same pool that her granddaughter pees in?

A trebuchet------ now why didn't I think of that before?

Brett--- As we speak (read) I am looking up all the trebuchet dealers in the area so I can my a recomendation to the Dog Park Board.

As an aside, Mayor George indicated that he said that Rocky River Mayor Bobst's request that we close the park "is not going to happen."

With the Human Services Director Dottie Buckon we will all continue our good neighbor and good behavior policy as we use the park.

Hope to see you all down there !

Stan Austin VP of the Lakewood Dog Park