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As you know, last May, Eduardo and I lost our dog Raj, who
died when he fell off the cliff in the Minnehaha Park Off Leash Recreation Area.
Finally, 6 months later, a 10-foot wide by 1,800 foot long safety corridor fence
is being installed to prevent further accidents from happening. There are
individuals in our community who are adamantly opposed to the fencing. These
individuals have aggressively pressured the Park Board to stop the installation
of this fencing. The following is an email posted by these advocates and
forwarded to us by a friend:
Dog Park Alert-The Minneapolis Park Board has decided to turn the access path to Minnehaha site (the River site) into a fenced corridor. This action is in response to last summer's incident where an uncontrolled dog ran over the cliff and died. While this was a regrettable accident, thousands of people and dogs have safely enjoyed this area for years and this response strikes us as being extreme and unsafe. We all know that crowding unfamiliar dogs into a long narrow confined space is a BAD idea! The Minnehaha access path is very long-maybe 1000 yards or more in length-and this fenced corridor can create havoc with dogs and owners as they attempt to pass each other on the way into and out of the off-leash area. Word has it that if this turns out to be the case, the area will then revert to a leash-only facility. Say goodbye to one of the best off-leash sites in the nation! Minneapolis off-leash permit holders, and other concerned citizens, should call the Park Board to express their concern. If the phonemail is full, be sure to leave a paper message with the phone operator. We feel the above statements are based in mistruth, half lies and deceit. The bottom line in our view is that these people want to maintain the use of the park, as they have always been able to. We feel very strongly that if these same individuals had been through the hell we went through when we lost Raj, perhaps they might reconsider their ignorant viewpoint. Some people are more concerned with their own comfort, than the safety of all parkgoers. This area is NOT safe and the fencing greatly reduces this risk! Flyers distributed at the park by these people indicate that the presence of this fencing will "make it more difficult to manage our dogs", and "the 'cattle' chute set-up might mean more dogs will fight because of the confined space". We strongly urge the Minneapolis Park Board (MPRB) to complete the installation of this fencing and thus insure the safety and well being of park goers. We believe that the MPRB decision to install this fencing was a sound, ethical and fiscally responsible thing to do. We were fortunate to have the support of so many of you shortly after losing Raj earlier this year. We graciously ask that you step up to the plate and take a few minutes out of your day to either call or email the MPRB and tell them that you support this fencing. Many in our community have called to complain about this fencing, it is time that the voice of reason be heard. Without your support we fear the MPRB will reconsider. We hope we are wrong! Your support and phone calls/emails can make a big difference in future decisions by the MPRB to crease additional dog parks in Minneapolis. We don't expect you to contact everyone, but please try to call a few Park Commissioners. Here is how you can contact Minneapolis Park Board Commissioners and
staff: John Erwin 612-673-5340 [EMAIL PROTECTED]Vivian Mason 612-673-5384 [EMAIL PROTECTED] John Olson 612-673-5330 Marie Hauser 612-673-5329 Bob Fine 612-673-5387 Rochelle Berry-Graves 612-673-5388 Walt Dziedzic 612-673-5319 Superintendent Mary Merrill Anderson 612-661-4800 Mike Schmidt, Head of Operation 612-661-4800 Mayor, RT Rybak 612-673-2100 [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sincerely, Mark Bautch and Eduardo Parra Cleveland Neighborhood, Minneapolis |
- [Mpls] Fw: we need your help...!!! Eduardo Parra
- [Mpls] Fw: we need your help...!!! Dan Prozinski
