The Editor:
Re: “‘Intolerable’ noise from Port Coquitlam dog park sparks petition” (Tri-City News, March 26)
I am very sympathetic to the plight of Bill Atfield. I live in Maple Ridge, and the city installed a fenced “off leash” dog area in Volker park. The problem was the park, and hence the run, is located in the middle of a group of homes. The noise was intolerable and the dog owners were unsympathetic. There seemed to be no middle ground.
There was a petition to the city and the parks department, and after a lengthy period of meetings and discussion, the dog run was removed. In our circumstance, we had a group of councillors and parks representatives who were prepared to listen to our story and that of the dog owners. They were supported by staff who did a lot of work to support us all.
In the end, Maple Ridge came up with a set of guidelines for the location of dog parks that I think has worked well for all stakeholders. I would encourage Mr. Atfield to contact the Maple Ridge parks department for a copy of their guidelines. It might give some guidance to all parties.
Chuck Gale, Maple Ridge