Poway to test allowing dogs off leash at Silverset Park
The Poway City Council informally decided Tuesday night to try out the idea of letting dogs run off-leash on the Silverset Park softball field.
With Councilman John Mullin in opposition, the council instructed staff to come back with a plan for a six-month conditional trial run. Dogs would be allowed access to the field from 7 to 10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. Staff will investigate what, if any, environmental reviews will first be needed and will come up with a formula to determine how to judge the experiment a success or failure.
It will be at least a month, if not longer, before a final report comes back to the council, according to City Manager Dan Singer. Once the report is ready the council will take a formal vote on whether to proceed with the plan.
Designating the field for “mixed use” was not endorsed by the community services or public works departments and was opposed by 14 Silverset neighbors on Tuesday night.
But a group of dog owners who have been lobbying for an off-leash space for over two years prevailed. They were represented by four speakers.
The topic took up an hour of public speaking time and another hour of council decision.
The issue has been simmering for three years, ever since the city cracked down on a 15-year tradition of neighbors letting their dogs run off leash in the mornings and evenings. Saying they did not want to be seen as lawbreakers, a group of off-leash backers twice went to the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee with proposals. In both instances, the panel declined to recommend off-leash use of the park to the City Council.
Councilman Dave Grosch was the strongest advocate for the off-leash group, saying he and his family have used the park for over 10 years and that off-leash dogs never presented a problem.
Noting that the off-leash proponents have vowed to police the fenced field for dog waste, Grosch predicted that Silverset “will be the cleanest park in he world.” The owners have also offered to help pay for the installation of two gates that will seal the field off from the rest of the park and for signage.
Opponents said they felt that dogs using the field would present a potential health hazard to children, that there was an excellent city-run dog park only two miles away and that allowing off-leash dogs will set a precedent for other neighborhood parks in the city.
Mullin said he was concerned that once word got out residents from other parks of the city will come to Silverset.
“We’re two Facebook posts away from having a traffic jam at Silverset,” he said.
Councilman Jim Cunningham suggested a condition making it plain that the needs of sports teams using the field will take priority over the dog owners. He also said he felt having dog owners patrolling the field for what young players call “land mines” (dog waste) will “make the field better” for everyone.
New Councilman Barry Leonard said that neighborhood parks should be able to change over the years as the recreational needs of the residents change.
“This is a chance to make another adjustment,” Leonard said. “If we don’t test it, we won’t know”(whether the mixed-use concept works.)
In other business, the council:
• Approved a conditional use permit and development review on plans to build a residential care facility for 7 to 15 residents at 14215 Midland Road.
• Agreed to rename the proposed new community center at Community Park “The Mickey Cafagna Community Center” and established an hoc committee to be filled by residents with construction knowledge to oversee the costs associated with the building of the new center.
• Awarded $257,862 in contracts to replace playground equipment at Sycamore Creek Park West and Starridge Park and to replace surfacing at Hilleary Park.
• Adopted a resolution approving issuance by the state of $7 million in bonds to finance the expansion of Spooner Woodworks in the Poway Business Park. The city is in no way obligated in the matter, the council was told.
