by John Lenti
Puptown held its quarterly meeting July 8. The Pet Overpopulation and Safety Ordinance was the most-discussed agenda item -- scroll down for more on that. But first, here's a review of other park matters:
David Wallace Memorial Fund: Treasurer David Goyer reported that we have collected $5,985 to date; $600 has been used to pay for the River Birch Tree that the Park District will install this year.
I reported that the Park District is currently reviewing the proposed memorial plaque and its designers are in the process of drafting construction drawings for the new second entrance gate.
Treasure's Report: David Goyer stated that Puptown currently has $11,624 in its account (almost half of which is earmarked for the Memorial Fund). Most of this money will be used to pay for the second gate, which the Park District estimates will cost $8-10,000.
Puptown needs approximately $2,000 per year to cover cleaning and maintenance projects (including gravel replacement), so we should be OK so long as we keep up membership and other fundraising efforts. For more on what membership money goes toward, please check out our park FAQ.
Speaking of membership, if you haven't yet joined the Puptown Dog Owners Group (P-DOG), sign up here.
Park Upkeep: Cleaning and fundraising continue to be challenging due to a lack of volunteers. Peter Leiser has helped keep the cleaning efforts going this summer (thanks, Peter!), but additional Saturday morning volunteers are always needed. Check the cleaning schedule here. The next Puptown clean-up is scheduled for July 18.
We are always looking for ways to increase membership and participation and remain open to suggestions. Contact volunteer@puptown.org to discuss how you can help.
Communications: Our new Facebook page has 90 fans and is being used for messages about lost items, park safety and events. We're thrilled to see it has much it has grown in a short amount of time.
Membership: David Goyer reported that the Wag for the Bag event in May netted $65 in t-shirt sales and $215 in new memberships.
I spoke with the vendors who took part that day, and they'd like to do it again. Puptown plans to make this an annual spring event, though we may be looking to come up with a better name ("flea market," anyone?).
Fundraising: Eric Wagner presented the approved hat design. It should be ready to go on sale by mid-July. Keep an eye out for them -- for $25, you can help the park out and look good, too.
On to the spay/neuter proposal ...
We discussed whether Puptown should take a stand on the city's proposed ordinance, which would require all dogs be spayed or neutered (with an exception for breeders). Please read my previous post for more background and information on how spaying/neutering affects park safety.
After lengthy discussion, we agreed to send a letter to the City Council focusing on the impact that intact dogs have on city dog parks. We intend to suggest that the Council look at making the spay/neuter requirement a condition for acquiring a Chicago dog park permit, regardless of whether the ordinance drums up enough support.
The final letter will be posted here in the very near future for comments from Puptown members and the Puptown community.
Prior to the meeting, we had sent a draft letter to our Google group asking for feedback (if you're not on the email list, sign up in the upper right corner on this website). As of this post, I have received feedback from 20 folks. The results are as follows:
- 15 respondents support the City Council proposed ordinance; 5 respondents oppose the ordinance
- 18 respondents think intact dogs should be banned from Puptown, regardless of whether the city-wide ordinance passes; 2 respondents would oppose a dog-park ban
Please add your thoughts in the comments below or feel free to contact me directly. Thanks!
Recent Comments