Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2017 06 14

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes May 10th, 2017 Page 5 of 6 members said no, since we don't yet know how long it will take to do the whole network once. X. Discussion Item: Finalize Draft Dog off -Leash Recommendations & Identify Next Steps Fiona discussed her memo from the packet. She felt like she has heard a lot of discussion of dog issues, but no sign of moving forward. She's been walking through the Davidson Mesa Dog Off -leash Area (DOLA) and wrote down some of her impressions. She expressed her opinion that the City needs concrete data, not anecdotal evidence. She is confused by the City's initial decision to establish the DOLA on such prime land. Mike commented that there should be City-wide dog strategy. He added that it wouldn't be politically feasible to close the DOLA without an attractive alternative. Fiona observed that the cities of Minneapolis and Davis both did studies that concluded that it is critical not to put a dog park next to houses. Laura asked the board about its willingness to establish an alternative DOLA on a different Open Space property, since the Davidson Mesa experience seems to indicate that DOLAs are essentially sacrifice zones. She suggested Daughenbaugh as a potential alternative DOLA: it has a parking lot, its vegetation is already highly degraded, and it isn't next to any houses. Ember suggested this might be unpopular with the property owners to the east of the land and that there is an existing prairie dog colony. Mike suggested that before that were done the land should be rezoned as a park, which would require the permission of voters. Joe thought there wouldn't be an appetite for sacrificing open space. Mike retorted that the Davidson Mesa DOLA has already been sacrificed. Graeme wanted to be very clear that he feels there should not be a DOLA on Davidson Mesa and that should be stated clearly: it is an inappropriate use of Open Space. He added that without potential alternatives, closing it may be unpalatable. Mike agreed. Joe suggested that there might be a clean chunk of the Xcel property appropriate for a DOLA. Laura pointed out that the Xcel land does have potential parking access. Laura said that the City should get the DOLA's heavy/regular users to share their opinions and ideas. Mike thought that OSAB should do some brainstorming about short-term management ideas, like closures after rain. Fiona agreed that we need short-term ideas, such as regular clean-ups and better enforcement. Mike sees the Dog Issue's Tiger Team's goal to develop a long-term, city-wide strategy, and to Mike's mind, the ultimate goal would be to close the Davidson Mesa DOLA. Fiona asked whether PPLAB members also feel that the goal is ultimately to close the Davidson Mesa DOLA. Mike replied that PPLAB have heard how he personally feels about the topic, but it isn't something they've proposed. Jim and Laura commented that without some reasonable alternatives, it would be hard to make a formal declaration about the need to close the current DOLA. Graeme said that maybe the board hasn't been clear enough that the DOLA is not an appropriate use of high-value land. Maybe there should be a concrete goal like, "within five years the DOLA should be gone, and here are some alternatives we are willing to consider." Jim wanted to agree on two things: 1) The Davidson Mesa 6