Dog Parks
A dog park is a facility set aside for dogs and their owners to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment. Parks vary in setups, but a typically is fenced, has separate, double-gated entry and exit points, a place to get water, and bags to pick up and dispose of waste. Dog parks are a great way to get the exercise your dog needs and to tire them out when you need to get some work done. They are also a great way to meet other dog lovers and hear about upcoming dog events.
For indoor cat owners like Cheryl and I, the house itself, provides enough run for our pets, so the concept of the dog park was previously unknown to me. But I'm impressed with the community efforts to place a dog park in Andover, and with the Council's and Park & Rec Commission's efforts to identify that location - which will be at Station North, by the ballfields. Care was taken to find a location that was respectful of the noise to the surrounding neighborhood, and to watch out for areas affected by run-off. The location choice sounds excellent.
I've learned about nearby parks in Coon Rapids (Trackside) and Ramsey (Alpine), as well as in Blaine. The City will make a significant commitment to make this park succeed. I've been meeting many dogs - and their owners - while out campaigning throughout the city this fall, and I suspect this will be a very popular alternative, indeed.
Eric Hagen of the ABC Newspapers wrote of the dog park efforts at last week's City Council Workshop consideration of the dog park proposal, October 1st.
Dog park recommended at Andover Station North
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer
If Andover dog owners are able to raise the funds, it looks like a new dog park will be constructed next to the Andover Station North ballfields.
The whole idea of a dog park was started by Andover residents Jen and Rob Frisby, who own four dogs. Instead of bringing their dogs to Trackside Park in southern Coon Rapids, they thought it would be great if dog owners in their own community could have a more convenient location to exercise their animals. In Andover and other communities, it is illegal to let a dog run off its owner’s property without a leash unless it is in a designated dog park area.
The Frisbys have undertaken a major grassroots effort to drum up interest over the last few months. They set up a booth at the Andover Family Fun Fest and got 300 signatures of support, according to Frisby.
Some have signed an online petition and added comments. Debi and Matt Billing of Andover, who own two dogs, commented online that providing a place where dogs can run and play would reduce the number of dogs running off-leash illegally at other parks. Many others wrote they would love to have a dog par closer to home.
Jen Frisby said she is surprised how quickly this has come together. She credited Andover Assistant City Engineer Todd Haas and the parks commission for giving them tips and seriously looking at the proposal and various locations. She thought this would take a year of organization, but noted how many people she talked to wondered why this had not happened sooner.
“A lot of people want to have this,” she said.
The work is far from over though. Ever since the Frisbys came forward at the May 20 parks commission meeting, the commission has said this project would need to be paid for with donations and not from parks funds that are already designated for other future projects such as a new skateboard park at Sunshine Park.
The Frisbys are on-board with having to raise the funds. Rob Frisby said they have not solicited any donations because there was no specific site proposal and no figures on how much this could cost. The city will be preparing a cost estimate for the Frisbys.
“The most successful dog parks around the nation are the ones that citizens are behind,” Jen Frisby said.
The location options
The location the parks commission recommended for the dog park is on the north side of the Andover Station North ballfields. The north fence is already in place and separates the park from the closed landfill site. The ballfield outfield fences would also be utilized. New fencing would be installed outside the ballfield fence areas so that the dogs would not mingle with the ball players and other residents at Andover Station North.
The Andover Parks and Recreation Commission recommends this site because of its central location in the higher traveled portion of the community and because of the parking lot, according to commission chairman Ted Butler.
Fox Meadows Park was another option, but Butler said the proximity of homes made this a less attractive option.
The area of Eveland Fields the parks commission looked at for the dog park is a storm water runoff area that does hold water after large rain events. The area of Andover Station North where the dog park is looking to go is also a storm water area, but it mostly remains dry.
Purple Park, which is a small park between the Andover YMCA/Community Center and Oak View Middle School, has a lot of trees and shrubs that would have been removed if a dog park went there. The city’s public works staff pointed out that this provides good buffer between the homes and the middle school.
Eric Hagen is at eric.hagen@ecm-inc.com
Staff writer
If Andover dog owners are able to raise the funds, it looks like a new dog park will be constructed next to the Andover Station North ballfields.
The whole idea of a dog park was started by Andover residents Jen and Rob Frisby, who own four dogs. Instead of bringing their dogs to Trackside Park in southern Coon Rapids, they thought it would be great if dog owners in their own community could have a more convenient location to exercise their animals. In Andover and other communities, it is illegal to let a dog run off its owner’s property without a leash unless it is in a designated dog park area.
The Frisbys have undertaken a major grassroots effort to drum up interest over the last few months. They set up a booth at the Andover Family Fun Fest and got 300 signatures of support, according to Frisby.
Some have signed an online petition and added comments. Debi and Matt Billing of Andover, who own two dogs, commented online that providing a place where dogs can run and play would reduce the number of dogs running off-leash illegally at other parks. Many others wrote they would love to have a dog par closer to home.
Jen Frisby said she is surprised how quickly this has come together. She credited Andover Assistant City Engineer Todd Haas and the parks commission for giving them tips and seriously looking at the proposal and various locations. She thought this would take a year of organization, but noted how many people she talked to wondered why this had not happened sooner.
“A lot of people want to have this,” she said.
The work is far from over though. Ever since the Frisbys came forward at the May 20 parks commission meeting, the commission has said this project would need to be paid for with donations and not from parks funds that are already designated for other future projects such as a new skateboard park at Sunshine Park.
The Frisbys are on-board with having to raise the funds. Rob Frisby said they have not solicited any donations because there was no specific site proposal and no figures on how much this could cost. The city will be preparing a cost estimate for the Frisbys.
“The most successful dog parks around the nation are the ones that citizens are behind,” Jen Frisby said.
The location options
The location the parks commission recommended for the dog park is on the north side of the Andover Station North ballfields. The north fence is already in place and separates the park from the closed landfill site. The ballfield outfield fences would also be utilized. New fencing would be installed outside the ballfield fence areas so that the dogs would not mingle with the ball players and other residents at Andover Station North.
The Andover Parks and Recreation Commission recommends this site because of its central location in the higher traveled portion of the community and because of the parking lot, according to commission chairman Ted Butler.
Fox Meadows Park was another option, but Butler said the proximity of homes made this a less attractive option.
The area of Eveland Fields the parks commission looked at for the dog park is a storm water runoff area that does hold water after large rain events. The area of Andover Station North where the dog park is looking to go is also a storm water area, but it mostly remains dry.
Purple Park, which is a small park between the Andover YMCA/Community Center and Oak View Middle School, has a lot of trees and shrubs that would have been removed if a dog park went there. The city’s public works staff pointed out that this provides good buffer between the homes and the middle school.
Eric Hagen is at eric.hagen@ecm-inc.com
I sat in at that workshop session, conducted jointly with the Park & Rec Commission. Chairman Ted Butler and his Commission are doing an excellent job representing our city. Much of the evening's discussion centered on the fund shortage for completing the warming house at the new hockey rinks by city hall. Tony Howard - an opponent in the Council race, and President of the Andover Youth Hockey Association presented the situation and worked with both groups to find a solution to free up city funds to help move the completion closer. I continue to be impressed with City Administrator Jim Dickinson, and members of both the Council and the Commission as they think out of the box and seek practical-minded solutions to reach difficult, but attainable goals.
