Park Board Committee Approves Creation of Dog Park Citizen Advisory Committee

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Planning Committee passed a resolution Wednesday night to authorize the formation of a citizen advisory committee to help create a dog park in Southwest Minneapolis.

The resolution calls for the advisory group to recommend a location for an enclosed off-leash recreation area in the 6th Park District, specifically focusing on areas along Martin Luther King Park and Lyndale Farmstead Park. If the advisory groups is approved by the whole park board, the committee will present their recommendations at the March 16, 2011 Planning Committee hearing.

Chair Anne Young also stressed that the board should work hard to get a new off-leash area in the sixth district by April 22, which is Earth Day.    

The resolution also calls for the advisory group to assess community interest in alternative pilot programs for residents and their dogs in Southwest Minneapolis that don't involve dedicated off-leash areas.

The advisory group will made up of 24 members. It includes representatives of most nearby neighborhood organizations, park board commissioners, a mayoral appointee, and Kingfield Dogpark Task Force appointee and a representative of Sabathani Community Center's board.

Commissioner At-Large Bob Fine said that there might be a problem in that none of the proposed members come from organizations in the black community—with the exception of Sabathani Community Center. So unless neighborhoods appoint African American representatives, "we may have a problem on the makeup of this CAC," Fine said.  

The dog park became the center of a heated series of community meetings this summer and fall when members of the black community voiced opposition to an off-leash area at Martin Luther King park in Kingfield, which they said was disrespectful to King's memory.

Earlier this month, the park board allotted $32,500 for a memorial in King's honor at the park, the same amount that was allotted for the off-leash dog area that the citizen committee will advise on. 

Young said the advisory groups charge would solely be to find a location for the dog park, and wouldn't deal with the memorial at Martin Luther King Park—although the park board will be looking into the memorial issue separately. 

Commissioner Fine questioned whether the advisory group was even necessary. 

Park Board President John Erwin agreed that perhaps it wasn't, since three public meetings have already been held, and "we may be able to accomplish what we need to do in committee."

Commissioner Brad Bourn from the 6th District, however, disagreed. "We've had a lot of public input, but the message that I've heard back from a lot of people is that people are looking for more opportunity to be part of the discussion," he said. "I think there is an understanding in the community that we are going forward with the CAC and [I] don't really support the idea of taking that away immediately." 

Young agreed that it would be difficult at this point to decide not to create the group. "I already got two calls this afternoon about the CAC," she said. "People already got their letters—people are expecting it at this point."

However, Bourn said urged the board to give residents a "seat at the table" on the issue.

The resolution passed before the committee. The proposal will now go to the general park board on Jan. 5.