Open Space Advisory Board 2017 12 13 Final Minutes

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes December 13, 2017 Page 3 of 6 multiple physical locations around the City and on the City webpage and that OSAB meetings are public and she welcomes input from citizens. Kristy Watson (1178 Harper Lake Dr) thought the best use of the land is for dogs off -leash. She thinks there are solutions to these issues. She suggested that companies or citizen could pay to adopt the space. Nicole Winterton (764 Peach Ct.) has enjoyed the DOLA and called it a treasure. She thought concentrating dog impact to one area is a way to save the over-all health of the Davidson Mesa parcel. She wants to focus on management and adding other parks, before closing the Davidson Mesa DOLA. She added that we should reach out to other municipalities to learn how to improve outreach. She added that Denver Parks have a rating system and use temporary closures when conditions get too bad. Helen expressed concern about the meeting running long and urged attendees to raise their hands if they had additional new ideas or statements to contribute. She summarized the brainstorming list throughout the discussion. Al Henderson (538 W. Lowell Ct) asked for better etiquette guidance for dog - owners. He said the DOLA degraded and ugly and needs improvement. He suggested a central designated path. Fiona agreed about education, but added that studies have shown that even with the best -designed signs 90% of people will comply, and 10% simply won't. She went on to say that 10% of people not cleaning up after their dogs can quickly build up. Jim commented that there are often gallon milk jugs left against the fence and they tend to get blown around the mesa. He suggested recycling the jugs. Sherry Bitler (730 West St) said she loves the Davidson Mesa DOLA because there is lot of room for her dog to run and because it's beautiful. She particularly loves that this parcel marries value for dogs with aesthetics value for the humans. Laura agreed, but added that there is intrinsic ecosystem value to land itself too, and that value must be part of the discussion. Tony Struover (1321 Jefferson) said Louisville is becoming "Boulder East" and suggested discussion of closing the DOLA is most likely due to someone wanting to develop the land. Helen explained that there is little to no chance that that could happen because it would take a ballot vote and approval by Louisville citizens. Stephanie Pellegram (1098 Sagebrush Way) asked for more trash receptacles. She said there needs to be more data and volunteered to be part of any solution. Rick Ruggle (893 Larkspur Ct.) said there was a dog clean up event and there are a lot of people who want to help. He would like to see gravel on the center trail because he sees people move off it when things get muddy. He suggested a tag system for residents. He said that he has made lots of social connections at the DOLA. He agreed that it is getting beaten down, but he doesn't think Louisville residents are the problem. He suggested using citizens to help replenish the dog bags. He also commented that the western area in the back of the Davidson Mesa is getting hammered with the Highway 36 Bikeway entrance. He suggested temporary closures to allow conditions to recover. Ember commented that the center trail in the DOLA is going to be resurfaced by the Parks Division. Someone asked if there was a place to see OSAB minutes. Helen and Fiona explained the City open meeting rules. Recap of ideas from public in attendance: • The need to talk to experts • A better data -driven assessment of impacts • Looking for future dog parks in the City • Reaching out to other municipalities • More enforcement