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Dog park users say water poses health risk

Easton Courier - 5/12/2017

Susan Harris has been taking her dog to the dog park near Helen Keller School for the past year.

For most of that time, she's noticed sitting water on the site that she says poses "a health risk for humans and dogs."

The water could attract mosquitoes and lead to giardia, a waterborne disease, or leptospirosis, she said.

"All are transferable to dogs and humans," she said, and "a lot of kids come into the park. Water is sitting there for weeks at a time."

Harris was one of several women who attended the May 1Parks and Recreation Commission meeting looking for "a constructive way to address the issue.

"We're thrilled to have a dog park," Harris told commissioners, but she suggested either moving the park or keeping the site where it is and addressing the water issue.

Based on her research, she came up with options that include excavating and putting down gravel, pea gravel or artificial turf. Pea gravel is pea-shaped gravel, which is frequently used by landscapers.

"We want to solve this problem," she said.

"I wasn't aware there was standing water," said Philip Tamallanca, Parks and Recreation Commission chairman.

The site had been a T-ball park, he said, and a portion of the site is clay, which becomes hardened and doesn't allow water to drain through it.

"We'll take a look at the standing water to make that go away," he said, and the site could be leveled off to do away with low-lying areas.

Gary Simone, Parks and Recreation Department head, had discussed putting holes in the ground to improve drainage at the site, Tamallanca said.

Simone was on vacation the week of the commission's meeting.

"We were very happy to get [the park] open," Tamallanca said. "There's ample parking, and it's safe. I feel this is a great spot. We can discuss maintaining it better."

Harris offered to organize a group of people to start raising funds for park improvements.

"We'll be happy to get pitchforks and get the clay out," said told commissioners. "I'd love to see the clay go away."

"We'll talk to Gary about it," Tamallanca said. "At our next meeting, we'll talk about how to proceed."

Simone could reach out to landscapers and find out about gravel supplies, he said. "We'll try and figure out the best solution."

Harris wants something to be done as soon as possible.

"What's frustrating to us is the ?let's wait and see' attitude," she told The Easton Courier after the meeting. "I'm in favor of an action plan and a time line."

Some dog park users in other municipalities have organized cooperatives in which people volunteer to care for the park, she said, and some have achieved non-profit status to raise money.

Others have organized "Friends of the Dog Park" groups that take on maintenance or oversight.

"We want to nail down a plan," she said. "This is a health hazard. We feel passionately about addressing the issue and making it a better and safer park."