08/22/2018: Meeting Minutes
Updated: Aug 31, 2018
Vancouver dog parks
Minutes
Date: 08/22/2018
Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Facilitator: Eileen Magill & John Vanvig
In Attendance
Jane V., Wes, Eileen M., James H., Rosa H., Larry J., Tegan B., Rocha D., Jeanne W., John V.
Joined by: Mark Watson (President, DOGPAW), Paul Harris (Board member, DOGPAW), and Valerie Hooks (Marketing contractor, DOGPAW)
Approval of Minutes
These minutes have been approved by the following: Rocha,
Reason for Meeting
Mark Watson of DOGPAW requested to meet with a “small group” of Vancouver Dog Parks coalition members. The Vancouver Dog Parks coalition was present to discuss issues surrounding The Columbian articles suggesting imminent dog park closures – specifically Ross/Ike – as soon as Sept 1st 2018. The Columbian article dated 07/12/2018, Watson 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 coalition is interested to understand what can be done to ensure our dog parks stay open, with specific importance on Ike/Ross.
Key Issues
Mark Watson, DOGPAW’s board president, told the Vancouver Dog Parks coalition DOGPAW plans to get out of the public dog-park business. “We run and operate the parks, but we have no control over them,” Watson told a small group of Ross regulars, “We’re leaning towards letting the city and county take them over.” He cited key issues pertaining to: Costs of operation/maintenance, safety of patrons and lack of animal control enforcement, and tensions with park landowners. He also advised that he will be leaving the board the first week of September 2018 and DOGPAW has not found a replacement. Mark invited members of the Vancouver Dog Parks coalition to apply for the open position on the DOGPAW board.
Costs
DOGPAW has been operating at a loss for at least the last 3- years as reported on their website. Despite marketing efforts that target businesses for donations and community fundraisers, 2017 shows they continue to operate at an unsustainable profit loss. According to Watson, due to the population of Clark County continually growing, costs are expected to rise with increased use (wear and tear).
Safety
Watson reported safety concerns at the parks, specifically noting dog-on-dog fatalities at Dakota, dogs roaming off-leash outside of parks, aggressive dogs, lack of animal control response, jurisdictional issues of what actions departments can when action is appropriate and where their jurisdiction ends, potential for injury especially to small children or children left unattended.
Landowners
Clark County’s 4 off-leash parks are on either county-owned or federally-owned land. Per Watson, Dakota and Ike/Ross are both on property owned by the Bonneville Power Administration, with Dakota operated on a long-term lease with the city (see below, does BPA really own the land to both). As a result, both Dakota and Ross are on safer ground--although Bonneville has concerns about safety and occasional dangerous incidents including kite-flying, family picnics and other activities at those parks that don’t involve dogs. Aggressive dog behavior at the parks has also created occasional problems. The county, which owns the land set aside for dog uses at Kane and Lucky, is in the middle of a festering personnel issue within animal control. That situation should be fixed soon, Watson said, but until then the county’s ability and willingness to keep those parks open is uncertain.
Key Business
Vancouver Dog Parks coalition has over 50 members from the Ross/Ike off-leash park. Members stay in contact through email (vancouverdogparks@gmail.com)
Eileen Magill, a familiar face among regular morning dog-walkers at Ross/Ike, offered to apply to the DOGPAW board. She should know more by September 5th 2018.
Watson confirmed the Vancouver Dog Parks coalition is the only group to contact him about efforts to stay open after The Columbian article.
Watson confirmed all 4 off-leash parks will remain open through the end of 2018 regardless of whether city and county officials agree to DOGPAW’s request for assistance.
Watson will step down as DOGPAW board president the first week of September 2018 for personal reasons. DOGPAW expressed they are unsure how to proceed in Watson’s absence. Possible outcomes included hiring an executive director, finding and developing donor support, establishing a volunteer coordinator, new “park ambassadors/managers” that oversee park management and maintenance, and looking for private land DOGPAW has more control over.
Per Watson, DOGPAW has struggled to form a reliable volunteer base since its founding in 2003.
DOGPAW has been and continues to look for alternative solutions to issues of costs, safety, and landownership. These include, but are not limited to, recusing DOGPAW from public dog parks and transitioning into a private, for-profit dog parks.
If DOGPAW is unable to find a resolution, they plan to “peacefully transition” the off-leash parks to the County. The County has no requirement to keep these areas as dog parks.
The next DOGPAW board meeting will be September 5th 2018 and Watson confirmed the meeting remains closed to the public. The county is expected to send a representative to respond to DOGPAW’s request for assistance.
Members raised questions about DOGPAW’s safety concerns, signage regarding park rules, communication between the organization and dues-paying park users, and other issues.
Members offered suggestions for resolving safety problems at the parks, as well as help with maintenance and upkeep.
Per Watson and Hooks, concerned dog park users should make their wishes for continued operation of the off-leash parks known to the Vancouver City Council and the Clark County Council.
Committee Reports
Park closure status
Public awareness
Volunteer efforts
Community support
Announcements
Enter Announcements
Next Meeting
Date (TBD) | Time (TBD), Location (TBD)
Motion to adjourn was made at 7:00 p.m. and was passed unanimously.
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