What
is Your Vision for the Fairbanks Dog Park?
Imagine
you are floating above Fairbanks in a hot air balloon in the year 2010
and looking down at the dog park. What would you see? A natural, open
field or a groomed lawn? Would it be fenced with a brown wooden fence or
chain link fence? Would it be a place to hold dog training seminars and
educational events or just a place for you and your dog to meet with
your doggie friends?
Why is the dog park important
for our community?
Land use conflicts indicate the need for land to be set aside exclusively for dog owners and trainers. Dogs are caught in traps, step in broken glass and get into trash left in multi-use areas. All year long, training and exercising could reduce euthanasia of dogs at Animal Control. The dog park would be a place to encourage responsible dog ownership and allow dogs and people to socialize, exercise and train together. Where
will the dog park be? The
Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly approved a 20 acre parcel of land
for a dog park in summer 2000. The land is near the corner of Mitchell
Expressway and Peger Road in Fairbanks within a larger tract of borough
recreation land called South Davis Park. The
larger140 acre tract is divided among local recreational users-- adult
and youth soccer, softball, tennis and dog enthusiasts. Each user group
will improve and maintain its area. The borough doesn’t charge to use
the land, but Parks and Recreation can take privileges away if someone
abuses them. Northern Interior Canine Enthusiasts, NICE, will fund,
build and maintain improvements at the dog park.
Now that dog park land is
approved, what do we do?
We need to plan improvements and figure out how to pay for them. The first steps in planning are to envision the final product; brainstorm ideas; organize them according to issues, goals and objectives; and then schedule projects to reach the vision. NICE
would like to operate the dog park the way the Nordic ski club operates
cross country ski trails at Birch Hill. Over 20 years ago the Nordic Ski
Club accepted responsibility for the land and since, built it into a
first class park
that anyone in the community can use.
Building Birch Hill took many years of hard work and now it’s a
gem in the community. How
can you help build the dog park? Please take a few minutes and think about your vision for the dog park. Sketch it on the attached park plan, circle the options you like on the chart and tell us your own ideas. Send your comments to NICE, 116 Bridget Ave. Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 or email us: FairbanksDogEnthusiasts@egroups.com
Take
our survey!
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