01/19/19: Meeting Minutes
Updated: Jan 30, 2019
Vancouver Dog Parks Minutes
Date: 01/19/2019
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Facilitator: Tegan & Rocha
Guest speaker: Eileen Magill (DOGPAW President)
Also present from DOWPAW: Alicia (DOGPAW Volunteer Coordinator) and Jim (Park Management – Ike)
In Attendance
23 members of the public, including the 3 representatives from DOGPAW aforementioned
Approval of Minutes
These minutes have been approved by the following: Tegan & Rocha
Reason for Meeting
To continue updating the community at large of the Vancouver Dog Parks (VDP) mission statement, efforts, findings, results of the Dog Toy Drive, and upcoming dog park supporting events. The Vancouver Dog Parks was present to discuss our efforts to support the Vancouver Public Off-Leash Dog Parks in their efforts to remain: Free, Safe, and Open to the Public. The Vancouver Dog Parks is a grassroots movement consisting of over 110 determined dog lovers from Vancouver, Washington who were alarmed when The Columbian articles suggested imminent dog park closures – specifically Ross/Ike – as soon as Sept 1st 2018. The Columbian article dated 07/12/2018, Mark Watson (DOGPAW, President) was quoted saying “By Sept. 1, if we cannot come to some form of agreement with this, we will pull up stakes.” Vancouver Dog Parks is interested to understand what can be done to ensure our dog parks stay open, with specific importance on Ike/Ross. In a letter to both the City of Vancouver and Clark County dated 06/07/2018, Watson again reaffirms, “Unless the City and County can commit to our proposal by September, 1 2018, DOGPAW will regretfully relinquish its role of maintaining and operating the off-leash parks, on your behalf, and for all your constituents, as of December 31 2018.”
Since the 11/03/2018 meeting of Vancouver Dog Parks with the public DOGPAW announced the election two new members, Alicia (Volunteer Coordinator) and Jim (Park Management for Ike). VDP invited all members of DOGPAW to attend a public open-forum Q&A, some were unable to attend due to personal reasons while others were non-respondent.
Key Issues
The 11/03/2018 meeting discussed issues surrounding DOGPAW’s lack of transparency with the public with specific concerns and/or confusion about the status of the off-leash dog parks run by DOGPAW (Dakota, Ike, Kane, and Lucky) and how the local dog loving community can support our public dog parks. This meeting offered a public forum for concerned members of VDP and the community at large to listen, learn, and ask questions to DOGPAW. DOGPAW’s current president, Eileen, presented a slide deck on issues ranging from thanking park goers for helping with park clean up, communication, and support, her personal values on spending (fiscal conservative), and the future of all four parks in their care. Vancouver Dog Parks thanked the community at large, as well as DOGPAW, for a number of accomplishments including addressing issues of safety and upkeep such as gravel drops, community park clean up days, and replacing damaged gates (just to name a few of the many thanks!).
Continued efforts for VDP focus on increasing public awareness, participation, and volunteerism to support the off-leash dog parks local to us. VDP is happy to provide a forum for the public to interact with and ask questions to DOGPAW board members who opted to join VDP’s open public forum.
Since the 11/03/2018, the Vancouver Dog Parks is and has worked on: Posting the meeting minutes from the 11/03/18 meeting. Further discussion with the community and DOGPAW as to how can we, the community, can help ensure our public dog parks remain free, safe, and open to the public. Asking what measures DOGPAW has taken and what will be done in the future to ensure the dog parks stay free, safe, and open to the public. Continuing to extend the invitation to DOGPAW board members to speak with the public to hear concerns, compliments, and questions.
Vancouver Dog Park News
Continued development and maintenance of the grassroots website (https://vancouverdogparks.wixsite.com/home) updated with news and information for dog owners and park users.
Vancouver Dog Parks IT and communications is very small (just two people). Anyone interested in helping is encouraged to send us an email (VancouverDogParks@gmail.com). We need folks to help write up communications, distribute meeting notices to the parks, and being park advocates.
Compiling and managing e-mail contact lists for the more than 110 frequent park users.
Gravel at Ike: Upper portion paid by DOGPAW, lower portion gravel and labor donated by Hoffman Construction as well as Bark, Run, Play. A big THANK YOU to Jim at DOGPAW who was responsible for contacting Hoffman Construction and the powers that were able to get FREE gravel and labor!
VDP would like to see representation from all parks. Stakeholders from all parks are invited to join community discussions. In such a way we hope to enrich the conversation by understanding stakeholder concerns directly from park users. Users of Kane, Dakota, and Lucky have been under represented at meetings and the lack of human interaction at these parks seems to be a large factor. We continue to look for better ways to connect with stakeholders and increase awareness and participation.
VDP continues to inquire with DOGPAW about the organization’s plan, unveiled last summer, that would move to privatize DOGPAW operated dog parks. The Vancouver Dog Parks mounted a community campaign and has been in contact with the DOGPAW board and press for updates on the status of the parks.
VDP has inquired with DOGPAW for more frequent and transparent communication with park users and the community at large.
How can we, the community, help out public dog parks? Is VDP just about Ike?
We heard concerns from VDP members at the meeting that efforts may be too focused on Ike and do not address the other DOGPAW parks. While the initial meeting of VDP was at Ike, VDP would like to publicly announce that all park goers are welcome and we value public insights. A substantial amount of folks involved with the VDP email list are frequent Ike users and, the public was right, VDP acknowledged having low participation from members of the other parks (Dakota, Kane, & Lucky). To help combat information isolation, VDP members placed additional meeting notices at all parks! VDP encourages folks to spread the word, email VDP through the site and let our folks know if you see signs that are worn or tear slips that need to be replaced, or even let us know if you want a copy of the file so you can share with your network.
Park goers and dog lovers are encouraged to sign-up for the VDP mailer that keeps users connected with future park clean-up days, community meeting information, park closure dates, news, and more. Vancouver Dog Parks is actively looking for members to assist with efforts including volunteers, community liaisons, communications, graphics, and pretty much everything! We are a grassroots movement and volunteers keep us running. If you are
interested in anything from volunteering at a clean-up day to submitting your pups photo to the Instagram feed, just shoot us an email (vancouverdogparks@gmail.com).
DOGPAW is seeking new board members, volunteers, and staff. This could be a way for members of the public to have a voice on the DOGPAW board.
Isn’t Vancouver Dog Parks and DOGPAW the same thing?
Not at all! DOGPAW is the 501(c)(3) that includes “Membership fees and business sponsorships pay for the cost of running the parks” (https://dogpawoffleashparks.org/). Vancouver Dog Parks is a grassroots movement consisting of over 110 determined dog lovers from Vancouver, Washington who were alarmed when The Columbian articles suggested imminent dog park closures – specifically Ross/Ike – as soon as Sept 1st 2018.
Vancouver Dog Parks started with an informal meeting of the public in the summer of 2018 out of the public concern that DOGPAW would close the off-leash dog parks in their care. Since the inception VDP has operated as a watchdog of sorts with the intent of making DOGPAW’s intentions for the public parks public knowledge and requesting more transparency from DOGPAW including public forums, meeting board members, and plans to keep the parks free, safe, and open to the public.
Will DOGPAW speak with the public to hear concerns, compliments, and questions? … YES! DOGPAW Open Q&A Forum
After a short VDP synopsis, the meeting facilitator turned the floor over to DOGPAW’s new President, Eileen. After a PowerPoint she opened the floor for a public Q&A (link to the PowerPoint).
Eileen announced DOGPAW is planning to hold a public forum, the first public DOGPAW forum in over two years! Eileen went on to describe how DOGPAW is making plans to improve communication with park users in 2019, including introducing an organizational chart that will show all board positions, open as well as filled, and who the contact personnel is.
Eileen also described that she has been in contact with the City and County regarding issues of park safety, future management, and more. These issues are still in discussion and she was unable to provide details. The drastic action to close the parks has been tabled (at least for now) and the board will look to increase transparency between DOGPAW board members and the public. This increased contact in expected through increased updates via e-mail, social media, postings on park signboards, and through other means. DOGPAW called upon the public to apply for open positions to alleviate the strain on their skeleton board.
Key Business
Vancouver Dog Parks has over 110 members from the Vancouver off-leash parks. Members stay in contact through email (vancouverdogparks@gmail.com) and website (https://vancouverdogparks.wixsite.com/home). We encourage users from the other parks to organize and join our efforts to keep the parks free, safe, and open to the public.
The Vancouver Dog Parks is actively looking for members to assist with efforts including volunteers, community liaisons, communications, graphics, and pretty much everything! We are a grassroots movement and volunteers keep us running!
The Website’s addition of the Action Center helps to connect users with ways to contact local representatives to let them know our parks are important.
Thanks to the public for continued participation and support. Thank you to DOGPAW board members as well for attending and meeting with the public to answer questions.
Committee Reports
Clean-up day results
Park closure status
Public awareness
Volunteer efforts
Announcements
Stay tuned for additional efforts to support the parks and increase awareness. Upcoming events include another park clean-up day and additional information from DOGPAW.
Next Meeting
Date 04/06/2019 | Time 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., Location Downtown Vancouver Community Library in the Klickitat Room (4th floor, NE corner)
Motion to adjourn was made at 12:00 p.m. and was passed unanimously.
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