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May 08, 2003
Group Letter to the Editor
Below is our formal letter that we submitted to the editor of the Grand Rapids Press today.
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We were disappointed with the "Some feel funding bite, anger at dog park plan" article in the Saturday Press.
After several interviews with The Press – the majority of dialogue being about our clean-up event – we were surprised that a positive community volunteer story was turned into a negative political hot button to provoke the public.
The event our group organized was a city wide clean-up of five major parks to show our dedication to the communities that we live in (and pay taxes in) and to show that we’re responsible dog owners and good neighbors.
Dog owners use the city parks on a daily basis. However, where taxpayer money has been spent on basketball courts, tennis courts and swimming pools, none has ever been spent on our needs. Dog owners in the city pay for the use of parks just like everyone else and we deserve to have a place to safely socialize and exercise our pets.
The $25,000 budget for the dog park is just 1.25% of the city’s $2 million capital improvement fund. Compare that to the $250,000-plus being spent at Cambridge Park. Sidewalks, bleachers and shelters are being installed in a park that sees very little usage from residents. Except for the many dog owners who come there every day – all year round.
We’ve worked hard to organize ourselves in an appropriate and responsible manner and to work with the city in establishing a dog park. We gathered over 2,200 signatures in support of this effort. It’s hard to understand how anyone could be "surprised" with it being in the budget. It was put into the budget because it has support and merit. It’s too bad our goals were framed in such a biased manner.
Dottie Rhodes
Spokesperson for the Grand Rapids Dog Park Enthusiasts
Posted by Gwen at May 8, 2003 09:14 PM