Pooches and patrons pester Parkville police

Parkville’s Community Land and Recreation Board (CLARB) discussed creative ways to differentiate between small and large dogs at its municipal dog park at Platte Landing.

Director of public works Alysen Abel updated the board on the situation at the riverfront dog parks at the Wednesday, Aug. 11 CLARB meeting. Over the past several months, Abel said there have been several altercations at the park between dogs, dog owners and owners and police. Officers have tired of dealing with calls from dog owners who believe the signs “large” and “small” refer to the size of the off-leash areas and not the size of the dogs in those areas.

“I think the police get called out there quite a bit and they’re frustrated with the calls they get,” she said.

CLARB members said that was never the intent behind the names — the areas are meant to separate large and small dogs.

Abel said the city was looking at options to clarify the signage at the park, suggesting specific canine size examples and several other ideas.

“Should we put out more information that it’s based on the size of the dog?” Abel said. “Maybe we should have a carry-on suitcase and say ‘if your dog fits in here, it’s small,’ or maybe we can carve out doggie doors and say if your dog fits they can go in, or even get one of those carnival ride things with a mascot that says ‘if you’re this tall you can’t ride this ride.’”

Board members questioned what to do with people who had both large and small dogs and asked who was going to police those restrictions if they’re put into place. Members said typically small dogs are considered those under 40 pounds, but that also left a lot of room for interpretation and a lot of variety in dogs.

“What if the small dog thinks it’s a big dog?” Abel asked, as several board members laughed and responded all small dogs think they’re big dogs.

CLARB members suggested perhaps splitting the two parks into three parks to allow for more separation. Another suggestion was to create specific entrance and exit points to avoid conflicts.

Staff members pointed out that wording on the city website did not clarify the parks were separated for large and small dogs. The board said the parks were never intended to be designated by the size of the off-leash areas, so the website needed to be updated. Board members hoped that could help clear up confusion before more time and money is invested in creating new signage or reconfiguring the dog parks.

PLATTE LANDING PARK BALL FIELDS

In recent weeks Parkville announced its receipt of a $1 million Platte County Parks and Recreation Partnership Grant to assist with constructing new multipurpose sports fields in Platte Landing Park. Funding for the grant was made possible with the Platte County park sales tax, which was renewed by the voters in 2020.

“The City of Parkville greatly appreciates the support from Platte County for the development of new sports multipurpose fields,” said mayor Nan Johnston in a press release. “The partnership we enjoy with Platte County continues to provide for expanded recreational opportunities for our community, serves our youth and greatly contributes to the quality of lives that our residents enjoy.”

The Parkville Parks Master Plan, adopted in 2016 following extensive public outreach, proposed expanded multipurpose fields in Platte Landing Park to replace the neighboring fields in English Landing Park as part of a long-term strategy to upgrade both riverfront parks. The location of the existing fields will be reclaimed for other open space-enhanced amenities set forth in the Plan, including a central lawn near the riverfront, a Missouri River overlook, a Veterans Memorial Plaza and other multipurpose open green spaces.

To help fund the improvements outlined in the plan, the city submitted a ballot question to residents in April 2019 for a one-half cent sales tax to provide long-term funding to improve park facilities and to help ensure the sustainability of the Parkville parks system. Following voter approval, CLARB set priorities for use of the revenue, including construction of the fields. A portion of the revenue from the sales tax, along with the Platte County Partnership Grant, will be used to construct the fields.

Construction of the multipurpose fields will provide more active recreation facilities in Platte Landing Park, including additional baseball and multipurpose fields for such uses as youth soccer, football and lacrosse. They will help address demand for fields and provide an opportunity to practice and play games in our own community.

The city is in the process of retaining the services of a professional consultant team to assist with the design. Once the team has been assembled, work sessions will be held with the board of aldermen and CLARB to initiate the design process. Various studies, including a traffic study, will be completed to determine the overall impacts of the proposed fields and assist in the development of a design concept for the fields. The work sessions will be open to the public.

The city also intends to have public input meetings where the public has the opportunity to view any plan proposals, ask questions and provide comment to the board of aldermen prior to approving a final design.