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June 19, 2008, Five Cities Times Press Recorder
Grover Beach digs up Costa Bella dog park
By Mike Hodgson/Associate Editor
South County dog owners might think Grover Beach is chasing its tail.
The City Council on Monday directed city staff to investigate creating a permanent dog park in the Costa Bella drainage basin, a proposal rejected by the city more than two years ago.
The Costa Bella dog park was resurrected by Mayor John Shoals amid a discussion of master plan options for the so-called Cleaver property on South 13th Street.
One of the options favored by the council last month was an interim dog park, with the possibility of constructing a community building on the Cleaver site sometime in the future.
But after hearing it would cost an estimated $42,000 to create the interim park, the council balked — sort of, leaving that option open under certain circumstances.
“Wow, who got us into this?” Shoals asked amid the long, convoluted discussion that led to a series of complex directives to staff.
The grassy 1.13-acre Costa Bella open space on South Oak Park Boulevard functioned as an unofficial bark park for more than five years.
Then in December 2005, the city cracked down by directing the County Division of Animal Control to cite dog owners who let their pets run off-leash in the basin.
Two months earlier, the city had tabled requests to turn the site into a permanent off-leash park because of liability questions and the costs for insurance, fencing, restrooms, drinking fountains and ongoing maintenance.
“There were also concerns from the neighborhood and parking issues,” said Kathy Petker, director of parks and recreation.
The 2005 crackdown led to the formation of the Five Cities Dog Park Association, which then approached the city of Arroyo Grande about creating a dog park.
Arroyo Grande responded by planning an off-leash area at Elm Street Park, which in turn embroiled the city in a lawsuit filed by the owner and manager of an adjacent apartment complex (see related story).
Despite all that, the Grover Beach council this week directed the staff to look into the Costa Bella idea after rejecting the Cleaver interim dog park — that is, unless the Costa Bella dog park falls through and if the Dog Park Association is willing to pick up a large chunk of the cost.
Ray Quintana, vice president of the Dog Park Association, told the council it has already committed to raising $40,000 to develop the Arroyo Grande dog park, and until that’s done, the group would likely not put any money into a Grover Beach park.
“‘Interim’ is a very undefined term ... and it’s very hard to commit funds to something that will be here today and gone tomorrow,” Quintana added.
Architect David Foote told the council the cost of the interim park could be reduced to about $33,000 by reconfiguring the parking and eliminating the proposed lawn and landscaping that would “doll it up.”
But Quintana advised against leaving the site natural, which would result in dust in the summer and mud in the winter, and suggested decomposed granite as a preferred option over bark chips.
Petker also said the foxtails and burr clover on the site would not be good for dogs, but she pointed out decomposed granite also would require watering to prevent dust.
“I think (a dog park) is a needed use. I’m just concerned about what’s being required in terms of funds for an interim use,” said Shoals, who then suggested talking to neighbors about Costa Bella, which already has grass and fencing on three sides.
In a complex series of directives over the course of the discussion, council members asked Foote to work on a master plan for a community building on the Cleaver site.
They also asked staff to evaluate the condition of a large oak Foote has called a “heritage tree” to see if it is healthy enough to save or if it could be removed to allow construction of a larger community building.
That drew objections from Councilwoman Karen Bright: “I’m going to have some trouble with the removal of that tree at this time. ... We’re losing trees left and right in the community.”
The council also directed staff to contact the Veterans of Foreign Wars to see if the organization would be interested in sharing the proceeds if the city sold the Cleaver property.
When the site was deeded to the city by the Cleaver family, it was on the condition that it be used for parks and recreation purposes. If not, it would revert to the VFW National Home.
“I’ve had a lot of concern about that property for a long time,” said Councilman Chuck Ashton, who suggested contacting the VFW about selling the land and using the income on other parks.
Petker didn’t like that idea: “That would definitely go against the spirit of the deed to sell it.”
Bright perhaps summed up the situation best when she said, “So many things are up in the air here.”