Action Item: Support Ordinance Change

Monday's City Council meeting will include a public hearing and second reading for the off-leash ordinance change. If this passes second reading, the legal ground work will be in place for providing off-leash areas in Ann Arbor. Council voted unanimously to send this to second reading, but several members expressed concern and suggested that they may not ultimately support the change. These members were seeking additional information about specifics including liability and public support.

The public hearing is a time during the Council meeting when the floor is open for any resident to stand up and express concerns or support. This is our final opportunity to convince wavering members that allowing off-leash areas is a good idea that will only help the city and that they should vote in favor of it.

Action:
- Attend City Council meeting Monday at 7:00 pm and express support during the public hearing. This is listed as PH-2 on the agenda and will come very early in the meeting.
- If you cannot come to the meeting please contact your council members (information here) and share your thoughts.

Some things to keep in mind:
- The vote will be on the ordinance change allowing the city to designate off-leash areas. There is no language or discussion here about specific plans. You should feel free to share any thoughts on specific implementation ideas, but what they really need to hear about right now is simply support for changing city code to allow the legal designation of off-leash areas.
- This is a change that many Ann Arborites have been seeking for over a decade.
- Setting aside controlled spaces for off-leash play is a good way to limit liability elsewhere and create a safer and more pleasant park experience for everybody.

From what I can see, I expect this to pass. But there is still reason to be concerned since some members expressed reservations at the last meeting. They definitely notice when several constituents voice support for an issue on which they are wavering. We can help ensure that this happens.

You may have noticed that the Olson Park planning meeting is happening Monday at 7:00 also. Interested people are encouraged to go to that meeting to hear the plans and have input. If you do, please contact your Council reps sometime before Monday evening to make your voice heard on the ordinance change.

Off-Leash FAQs

This document has been circulating around City Council and the relevant parties for the past month or two. Council Member Lowenstein referred to it during the conversation about the ordinance change at the last meeting.

It is a set of frequently asked questions about off-leash hours in parks in New York. I have expressed reservations before about off-leash hours and I haven't changed my position on that, but it is still a likely partial solution for us. Also, this FAQ deals with more general issues of community relations, public benefit, etc.

I'm glad to see that this is floating around the powers that be since I think it is a nice, even-handed treatment of the issues. There are a few things that I would change, but it's worth perusing if you are still unsure about the wisdom of off-leash areas or if you want to be better prepared to speak with people who are.

Thanks to Vanessa for passing this along to me!

Overrated

We've been noticed by Ann Arbor Is Overrated. I suppose that means we've made the A2 blogosphere big-time.

Welcome new visitors from AAIO! Take a look at some of the older posts for background information and let us know what you think.

Here's where we stand right now: An ordinance change that will allow the city to designate off-leash areas passed first reading at last week's Council meeting. As I understand it, that means there will be a public hearing and second reading at next Monday's meeting. Supporters are strongly encouraged to come and speak at the public hearing or to contact your council members and encourage them to pass the change on second reading. Contact information is in the sidebar to the right.

There are also two public meetings next week to discuss plans for off-leash areas in Olson and Southeast Area Parks. If either of those is in your neighborhood, feel free to come to the meeting or contact Amy Kuras (akuras@a2gov.org) to let your thoughts be known.

This is all very encouraging. It looks like Ann Arbor will come out of the doggie dark ages some time this summer, but skepticism is wise. We've been hopeful in the past only to be disappointed by new roadblocks. The more supportive voices Council hears, the more likely this is to become reality.

Another Letter

One more letter to the editor in today's News.

Now that it looks like the community dog run project is back on the table with adequate funding, half of this letter is already moot. The points are worth noting anyhow.

Promising Upcoming Meetings

It looks like the Community Dog Run program is not dead after all. Two meetings have been announced to discuss two different plans for off-leash play areas.

First, a meeting to discuss a fenced off-leash area at Olson Park
- Monday June 18, 7:00 PM
- Olson Park Picnic Shelter
- Corner of Dhu Varren Rd. and Pontiac Trail













The following day there will be another meeting to discuss a temporary fence at Southeast Area Park
- Tuesday June 19, 7:00 PM
- Southeast Area Park Picnic Shelter
- Corner of Platt and Ellsworth Rds.












This is extremely encouraging. First it looks like Parks and Rec has heard our concerns and those of non-dog owners and realizes that fences are worth the investment. It also looks like they intend to go forward with the community dog run program and also to provide a temporary solution until Swift Run can be opened.

As always I have my skepticism and I'll wait to see what becomes a reality before I am really convinced. But it appears that we are really being taken seriously now and that we may even have a usable off-leash space within the next couple of months.

Friendly Council Member Retiring

EDIT: I see now that the meeting I mention in this post will be at noon. Sorry I missed that the first time through.

I just saw in a comment at arborupdate that City Council member Robert Johnson of the 1st Ward will not seek re-election in the next round. Johnson has been a major supporter of dog parks and an all around good member of Council.

This won't mean any changes until the next City Council election this fall so it is not going to change things for us in the immediate future. However, it would be nice to get a replacement that will also be a strong advocate of off-leash play and dog owners.

There will apparently be a meeting of First Ward Democrats to discuss the next candidate. If you live in the First Ward, consider going to this meeting and letting the pool of candidates know that this is an important issue. Even better, if you live in the First Ward and have some time on your hands run for this seat and be our champion on Council.

According to the post at arborupdate, the meeting will be this Saturday June 9, at the Community Center, 625 N. Main at Noon.

With Council primaries coming up in August, this is a good time generally to find out which of your CMs are up for re-election, if they have challengers in the primary or general election, and where both the incumbents and challengers stand on dog-park-related issues.

I see for example that Wendy Woods in the Fifth Ward has a primary challenger. If you're a fifth Ward voter, contact both of them and find out what they'll do for us.

CM Woods spoke at length during Monday's discussion. It appears that she is generally supportive but doesn't understand why we are so frustrated. She made a fairly elaborate show during her questioning of Jayne Miller that the city has provided the land for Swift Run and is doing ever so much to help dog owners and that those of us who are voicing frustration just don't know how good we have it. I don't think she is opposed to the project at all, but she really seems to believe that we've got more than we really need and we should just sit back and be quiet while the move at whatever pace they choose.

If you don't know what ward you vote in, you can see a map here.

Council Meeting Video

I've been trying to edit Monday's Council meeting to post on YouTube. Unfortunately, getting it off my DVR and onto the web is far more complicated than I though. Fortunately the entire meeting is posted on Google Videos now.

You can watch the entire meeting here.

The dog park issue is addressed by speakers in public commentary starting at 21:15. Be sure to catch the second speaker, very eloquent and several strong points.

The Council begins discussing the ordinance change just after 1:06:00.

Loading the whole video takes a little while, but it's all we've got for now.