PORT TOWNSEND — Local canines and their guardians will have a place to exercise and socialize if a proposal to develop a dog park gains traction.
“Citizens who prefer to avoid interaction with dogs will be more comfortable because owners won’t be seeking exercise opportunities in our current parks,” said Rick Jahnke of Port Townsend, who is spearheading an effort to establish a dog park.
“Nature parks and wildlife areas will be better protected from the impact of canine activities when an alternative is available,” he said.
“People who have dogs want a place where they can run free and meet with other dogs, while those who don’t have dogs will be able to walk on trails and in parks and not be chased by dogs.”
Jahnke wants to establish a nonprofit to lead in developing and supporting a dog park, seek partnerships with local jurisdictions to provide land and services, and organize volunteers to provide its routine maintenance.
Jahnke said a dog park would attract local dogs and their owners as well as tourists traveling with dogs who are looking for ways to get Fido out of the car.
Jahnke said visitors and newcomers routinely ask where they can safely exercise their dogs, only to find that while adjacent jurisdictions such as Sequim, Port Angeles, Whidbey Island and Kitsap County have dog parks, Port Townsend has no such opportunity.
Alison Riley — who recently moved to Port Townsend from Bozeman, Mont., with her husband and Gwen, a 10-month-old wire-haired pointer — agrees.
“What’s missing here is the opportunity to meet other dogs and set up play dates with them,” Riley said.
“Creating a safe place for dogs to meet and socialize would be an excellent addition.”
Jahnke has created a website, www.porttownsenddogs.org, that includes information about the proposal as well as a petition.
The petition has so far gained more than 300 signatures, he said.
Jahnke has outlined general requirements for a successful dog park: a 1-acre-minimum area with a chain-link fence at least 5 feet tall with rounded corners, a double-gated entry, topographical variety and a reasonable distance from residences.
He is approaching several local jurisdictions and presented an abbreviated version of the idea to the Port Townsend City Council on Monday night, seeking eventual city support.
While he is seeking sites around the county with the idea of multiple parks, a Port of Port Townsend-owned parcel situated between Jefferson County Airport and the newly constructed Jefferson Transit Center has the most immediate promise, he said.
Deputy Port Director Jim Pivarnik called the proposal “a great idea,” although he said some details need to be worked out.
The port does not have a staff to maintain the property and is forbidden from donating land, so a lease agreement would need to be established.
“I can see us giving them use of the land for five years so if it turns out it becomes developable, we won’t be locked in,” Pivarnik said.
Pivarnik said the 12-acre parcel has no current use to the port and has 2 acres that “could be carved out to make a nice little park where dogs could run around.”
To gain support for the idea, petition signatures will be gathered in the commercial building during the Jefferson County Fair, scheduled at the fairgrounds at 4907 Landes St. in Port Townsend from Aug. 14-16.
The petition drive will continue from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at Sound Storage, 606 E. Park Ave. in the business park.
The petition drive leads up to an organizational meeting, scheduled for an undetermined time Sept. 9 at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
