CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Ever since Cincinnati Parks proposed to build a dog park at Burnet Woods, Clifton and Corryville residents have shared their mixed opinions on the project, especially as the proposal becomes more serious.
The idea to build a dog park in the Clifton neighborhood stemmed from a study that was conducted by a UC student. The student found that with the number of dog owners in the area, a dog park would provide the urban neighborhood with a natural setting.
“Dog parks are more than an area for just dogs, they provide a comfortable setting for human socializations,” the study concluded.
For the past three years, park board members have participated in multiple community meetings to receive feedback from the community.
While some dog owners and residents may be excited about the possible new park, others have concerns.
“What I don’t understand is when you change this to a dog park only dog owners will enjoy this space,” dog owner and Cincinnati resident Virginia Smith Robinson said. “But if you leave it as [is] then everyone can enjoy it, including dogs and their owners. Such a beautiful space in an area where green spaces are finite.”
In response to the park taking up green space, Cincinnati Parks says that the area will only take up 0.2% of the total 89.3 acres of Burnet Woods.
Some residents say that the dog park should be built at Fairview Park because of its flat land and lack of trails.
“Which is also why Fairview makes far more sense as a location – because it doesn’t have trails to get that type of exercise for dogs,” Cincinnati resident Cynthia Duval said in Neighbors & Friends of Burnet Woods’ Facebook group. “A natural dog park at Fairview provides exercise and freedom options for dogs that don’t currently exist. At Fairview it’s an amenity, at [Burnet Woods] it’s a temporary trend and redundancy.”
Cincinnati Parks has received a significant amount of feedback from residents in the neighborhood, including concerns having to do with the environmental impact the dog park may have on Burnet Woods.
Existing drainage issues at Burnet Woods are of the highest concern, especially when dog waste is added into the mix, Cincinnati Parks said.
“Parks Staff will work to ensure these issues are properly mitigated and managed,” officials said. “The dog park will consist of synthetic turf atop a base of crushed aggregate with an antibacterial treatment specifically designed to accommodate dog waste. The turf is also porous allowing drainage through the turf into the ground like natural grass.”
In addition, park officials addressed whether trees or other species will be impacted.
“Parks Urban Forestry experts were involved in the site selection process to carefully ensure no impacts to existing trees or other wildlife habitat,” officials explained. “In addition, the selected site is a small, grassy area located along the edge of the park, adjacent to a park access road and will not disturb more densely wooded areas of the park.”
The 8,900 sq. ft. area will cost around $450,000 and take 6 months to build. It will be located at the Jefferson Avenue entrance adjacent to Brookline Avenue. The proposed project would include:
- A 5-foot-tall black fence
- A double-fenced entrance
- Synthetic turf that is made of materials and drainage to “accommodate dog use”
- A water source (for humans and dogs)
- Benches for owners and concrete seat walls
- A play mound
- Trash bins and doggy trash bags
Cincinnati Parks Executive Assistant Tia Brown says the dog park is expected to be discussed in future meetings.
The next Board of Park Commissioners meeting will take place Thursday morning.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.
Copyright 2023 WXIX. All rights reserved.
