Carmel Valley Comes Together

by Councilman Scott Peters
September 2002

During these dog days of summer I was pleased to participate in the opening of the new Carmel Valley off-leash dog park at the South end of Torrey Highlands Park. Friends of Carmel Valley Dogs and dog owners from around the community participated in the ceremonial first frisbee toss and I was allowed to make the call to, "release the hounds!" It was a great event and a great ending to Friends of Carmel Valley Dogs search to find a place where they could recreate with their pets. The opening of the dog park was also symbolic of a community coming together to find a solution to a difficult issue.

Dog parks have been one of the most contentious issues before the City Council. The diverse interests of sports leagues, kids, runners, walkers, and dog owners often collide in accusations and innuendo where one side needs to win at the cost of all others losing. Unfortunately this causes bad feelings all around and pits neighbor against neighbor, dividing the community. This has occurred in North Park, Golden Hill, and Pacific Beach, but Carmel Valley took a different route.

Soon after I was elected, Friends of Carmel Valley Dogs approached me about helping them find a suitable place for a dog park. The group had been formed five years earlier out of frustration from being unable to find a place where they could legally recreate with their dogs off-leash. Dog owners had been in conflict with parents worried about their kids and sports teams who were worried about the poop-factor. As a parent, and coach I understood the need to protect kids in the parks, and keep our fields clean, but also sympathized with the needs of dog owners whose dogs are a large part of their recreation. So I brought the various groups together to find a solution that would provide recreation for dog owners without sacrificing much needed space for kids and teams. We held meetings with members of the Recreation Council and talked with representatives of the sports leagues and got City staff involved in the search. We reviewed several locations and settled on Torrey Highlands Park as a probable site. Throughout the process all the parties involved kept the position that "we can make this work," and did not fall victim to thoughts that "this will never happen."

With this can-do attitude and a general sense that Torrey Highlands park was the right location for the dog park, recreation council representatives met at the site to determining how much room was needed for teams, what would have the least impact on neighbors, and how to ensure that everyone had a safe and fulfilling visit to the park. The group settled on a one-acre section in the Southern part of the park that would be fenced to keep dogs separate from other park users. When the site came to the City Council for approval in June, there was not a single voice raised in dissent and the park was passed on consent. This was in contrast to several other dog parks on the agenda that day that had masses of angry speakers on both sides that could have learned a lot from the consensus building process followed by Carmel Valley.

The process that brought about the creation of the dog park is a model for how we can work effectively in the community. I was very impressed that all sides were able to listen to the needs and positions of the others and work through their differences with honesty and respect, that left no one a loser. Many kudos should go to Bev Ross and Lisa Seiler with Friends of Carmel Valley Dogs, Pat James with the lacrosse teams, John Carson representing youth soccer, Joan Tukey and Lee Klauson with the Planning Board, and Ginny Barnes and Ken Farinsky with the Recreation Council. And a general kudos to Carmel Valley for displaying an example that all communities should follow.