City Caves to Dog Advocates, Taxpayers May Partially Fund Dog Park

Stephanie Koenig Treviño said she and her husband, Robert, will one day have kids, but for now, their two dogs, Jax, the 4-year-old schnauzer, and Dagger, an 8-month-old cocker spaniel, are like their children; and like all parents, the newlyweds want to take their dogs to a park and play.

Thanks to a 4-3 vote to approve the location of San Angelo's first dog park and possible funding, the Treviños will get their wish.

During the regular agenda session, City Council members listened to a presentation by Parks and Recreation Director Carl White, who provided an update to the private fundraising dollars raised and pledged by means previously discussed by White and the original proponent of the park, Girl Scout Meagan Allegier, in March 2014. White also provided a visual presentation of the three proposed locations for the new park.

Thus far, private funds and pledges amount to $66,000, which is $9,000 shy of the $75,000 target amount to fund the project.

Mrs. Treviño, who has been a big advocate, donator, and promoter of the park, said, “Being $9,000 away from the target goal seems like a challenge, but with the right fundraiser, media exposure, and community support, I believe we can come up with the remaining funds.”

Out of the three locations, The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board supports the location on the southwest corner of College Hills Boulevard and Millbrook Drive. This location is optimal because it fits within the target budget, is highly visible, close to parking lots, and has a wide space between the large and small dog areas.

The downsides to the area, however, includes no shade. The area also sits in a flood plain. The cons of the location were not the issue when it came time for a motion to vote.

After he presented the proposed locations, White explained the $9,000 shortage of funds and the need for an additional $8,000 per year for the City of San Angelo to maintain the park. He proposed those funds come from City of San Angelo Development Corporation (COSA-DC) funds or the general fund.

“This is a legal way to do it,” White said. “It would be legal because the dog park fits under the parks improvement fund.”

Although all Council members agreed that San Angelo needs a dog park and were unanimously in agreement about the location, some members weren’t thrilled about using taxpayer dollars for a project initially approved as a privately-funded one.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Grindstaff from Single-Member District 5, said, “When we discussed this last March, I thought we were following a path to private funds. I am personally not interested in using public funds for this project.”

Grindstaff also said she would rather stay focused on prioritized projects proposed and agreed upon during the annual project retreat. Additionally, the council previously agreed that when presented projects had ongoing maintenance, the Council would quantify the benefits to get a good handle on those projects.

“We get ourselves in difficult situations when we continue to develop but never properly put additional maintenance funds to the side.”

Mayor Dwain Morrison and Grindstaff were in agreement.

“I think it’s an excellent location,” Morrison said. “I think last year, however, we made a unanimous decision that we would provide a place to put this park, but they had to come up with the money. Now I’m a little concerned that we’re tainted right in the middle when we agreed last year.”

Morrison feels the Council did their part, and now the people who wanted this park have an obligation to do their part.

Rodney Fleming, Single-Member District 1, Johnny Silvas, Single-Member District 3, and Charlotte Farmer, Single-District Member 6, voiced their reasons for supporting the proposal.

“You might be surprised by this,” Fleming said, “but I think we should go through with this project. I like that the public came through and donated and pledged $66,000.”

Fleming also said dog parks are a big deal in a lot of cities, and the dog park is a quality of living asset for the city that should have been on the radar long ago.

“A lot of people own dogs. We need to figure out how we can come up with the rest of the funds. I think this is important to the city as a whole.”

Silvas echoed Flemings sentiments. He said, “I applaud the folks who came up with $66,000 for this idea. It’s a beautiful location. It improves the quality of life for the animal owners and the animals themselves. For them to come this close, and for us to not move forward, well it’s wrong.”

Silvas also said the $66,000 came from folks who pay their taxes anyway, so it’s not like the city is “throwing money away.”

Another advocate speaker, John Bariou, president of the Board of Directors at COSA-DC, said he wanted the development corporation to help pay for the maintenance. San Angelo can follow other cities with dog parks he has visited and supply a donation box at the entrance of the park.

However, Bariou claimed if the city elects to allow the remaining funds to come from the general fund, there’s no harm because much of San Angelo’s sales tax, approved by the citizens, comes from the purchase of pet-related products; not to mention, “our public has already supported it merely by owning animals.”

Whether the public agrees or not, the City Council made the motion to pass the location of the dog park at the intersection of College Hills Blvd. and Millbrook Dr. and approved the possible allocation of public funds to the project should private donations not pan out by the fall, which marks the beginning of construction.

The public dog park, ranked #2 in the top facilities to consider in the City of San Angelo's 2012 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan, should become a reality by spring 2016.