SUPPORT THE DOG PARK!

Irvine is moving Central Bark dog park between January - June 2025 (Chris Slama - Director of Community Services).  The City of Irvine built a Temporary dog park at Oak Creek Community park on the old ball field to bridge dog park visitors over until the NEW Permanent dog park can be built in 2025 (Irvine, 2021 Plan).  Just over half a mile down Valley Oak from Irvine Central Bark, the Temporary dog park at Oak Creek Community Park has already been TORN DOWN because of unfounded “concerns”, outside of due process.  We risk not having a dog park if we don't rally support for our off-leash dog park.  Our dog park are UNDER ATTACK by dog haters seeking to STOP THE DOG PARKS.   We need to STOP THE STOP!

A Timeline Of What Has Happened
1. Pushback from the president of the Orangetree master HOA (Ralph Parkes) led to the removal of a temporary dog park in May 2024 that was planned and approved in 2021.
2. A petition on Change.org was started to stop the dog park construction at Oak Creek Community Park by a person named Max Eg, in March 2024.
3. This very petition was created 6 weeks after the petition above and gathered well over 10X the signatures of that petition.
4. Irvine Dog Parks Association begins formation and communicating with the City of Irvine.
5. City of Irvine Councilperson Tammy Kim reached out to us to help create and promote a "Dog Park Listening Session" that was successfully held at the Cypress Village Community Center.
6. Maintenance improvements at existing dog park that was asked for started getting done.
7. Kathleen Haton, Senior Planner from the Community Services Department reached out on a design modification to the plan that saves both time and money and is preferable for location of the dog park to see what our thoughts were.  We obviously support it.

What We Are Doing About It
1. This petition demonstrated and continues to demonstrate a high level of support for the dog park.
2. Realizing the need to stay vigilant and advance dog park issues we started the Irvine Dog Parks Association (IDPA).
3. Through the IDPA we respond to changing dynamics that affect the dog park by promoting attendance to the City of Irvine commission hearings to show support for our dog parks and have our voices heard.
4. The IPDA website (irvinedogparks.com) has initially just been a form to join the newsletter mailing list, but is transitioning to a more comprehensive relevant information content portal.

What We Have Accomplished So Far
1. Clarification of what the future of Central Bark is
2. Realization of what a great community we have
3. Organized that community to increase our voices where it matters
4. Opened the dog park on Wednesdays after 4pm except the 2nd Wednesday of the month.  Used to be closed for maintenance all Wed.
5. Established a vastly improved communication with the City of Irvine
6. Demonstrated to the policy setters the high level of support off-leash dog parks have and the need for more dog parks
7. Given valuable feedback to the City of Irvine and the Community Services Department that helps them help us
8. Increased the quality of maintenance that Central Bark gets in its twilight year:

• New sod (underway)
• Irrigation fixed
• Replaced the missing benches
• Fixed the lights (underway)
• Fixed the shade structure that fell down (in 4 days!)
• Adding a community bulletin board (requested)

What You Can Do To Help
1. Sign this petition 
2. Join the newsletter for IDPA at irvinedogparks.com
3. Spread the word
4. Attend events that help our cause

Know The Opposition
For comic value here is the link to the petition Max Eg launched to stop the dog park construction.  https://www.change.org/p/stop-dog-park-construction-at-oak-creek-community-park

It is shocking to me how weak this argument is, full of fallacies.  With basic research skills one can find out the mountains of evidence of how dog parks have a huge positive impact on a community and cities they are in.  You don't even have to have a dog or enjoy the dog park to benefit from their existence.   Recent research from Trulia and HAR have established that Dog Parks in or near a community raise the value of homes in that community between 2% - 6% (Trulia, HAR).  

Opposition Concerns Refuted
1. Hazard to children, families, dogs, and soccer players
Answer: A simple visit to a dog park will reveal children, families, dogs and even people who play soccer who are having a great time.  Additionally, dogs are not new to Oak Creek Park as it is currently a regular destination for many dogs being walked on leashes--and some that are let off leash when they think no one is looking.

2. Close Proximity to residential neighborhood 
Answer:  There are at least 4-6 rows of fully grown trees, 4 lanes of traffic, 2 hedgerows, 2 sidewalks & planters, a block wall, and either a turn lane or center divider between the dog park and one home in Orangetree.  The other 4-6 homes next closest also have a driveway and garages.  That said, many communities actually have a dog park embedded inside them with no adverse effects besides happier residents and increased home values (Trulia, HAR). 

3. Noise
Answer: Dogs at dog parks rarely bark and even at its loudest does not exceed the existing noise from Oak Creek Community Park.  The City of Irvine had studies done that verified this fact. 

4. Smell
Answer: Even inside a dog park it is rare to smell anything.  Turns out regular maintenance and responsible dog owners limit any such concerns.

References
Trulia, "8 Features That Increase Property Values In My Neighborhood – Real Estate 101," https://www.trulia.com/blog/features-increase-property-values-in-my-neighborhood/

HAR, "Do dog parks add property value," https://www.har.com/question/1743_do-dog-parks-add-property-value

Relevant Links
City of Irvine's Oak Creek Community Park project (2021 plan)
https://www.cityofirvine.org/parks-facilities/oak-creek-park-project

Irvine Dog Parks Association
https://irvinedogparks.com

We ask that the City of Irvine be vigilant in verifying the level of support or opposition to the Oak Creek Community Park project.  HOA's that claim to speak for an entire community should have to show their efforts to properly educate their communities members and obtain their varied opinions before simply accepting their word for it.  A disengaged HOA board should not  be allowed to run roughshod over their community at the City level.  Please, for the sake of all Irvine residents, be certain of the level of support or opposition.