SMA 2.2.1 - A Dog Park - a private-public partnerhip

Add a Dog Park near Kewalo Basin
(`Ewa side of the Kamake`e entrance) (SMA 2.2.1) 
Guidelines for successful dog park require ½ to 1 acre, away from traffic and residential areas.
  • The area designated for two parks is less than a half-acre.
  • Location is at a busy entrance to the park, with lots of vehicles, and multimodal as well as pedestrian traffic.
  • Should have good access – parking or walkable (10-15 minutes). If parking is unavailable near the dog park entrance, owners will need to cross the park to get to the site.
  • Should be located in parks with maintenance and Control measures.
  • Who will ensure that owners pick up and dispose of their pet’s poop? Diseases can spread by dog feces and there will be an increase in fleas, ticks and flies.  Fire ants are already a problem at the park.
  • Frequent maintenance needed to keep the dog park clean –attending to grass and Waste receptacles– will results in less upkeep of other park facilities.
  • Who will enforce keeping dogs and their owners from moving on to the beach?
  • Liability–What happens if someone or a pet is bitten, scratched, etc.
Infringement on people who fear or are allergic to dogs.
Dogs are everywhere every day in the park. How can that be? DPR regulations do not allow animals anywhere in Ala Moana Beach Park. The abusers know that DPR does not care about enforcing their regulations. Adding a dog park will increase the abuse.

Dog owners prefer to exercise their dogs by running, walking or fetching a ball or frisbee, unencumbered by small spaces and other dogs. These dog parks will not provide sufficient space for this exercise. If an aggressive dog or too many dogs are at a dog park, owners will leave. And where will they go? To the beach park, of course!

-Carol Ching-

Return

Public viewpoints

“Is Ala Moana Park Going to the Dogs? If AMRP park lands are used for the Dog Park, it will set a precedence to construct other Dog Parks within its boundaries as dog owners lobby for easier access.

By itself, the Dog Park will incur additional unnecessary work for park maintenance crews for waste disposal, fence maintenance, flea-tick control, etc.; all at tax payer’s expense when current maintenance costs of our public parks are already stressed.”

-Tom Iwai-

“…shouldn’t the City require that developers, who market that their units are pet friendly, include in their approved plans, appropriate areas for pets on their property since (I’m told by condo owners) such allowances increases the selling price of the units? Why should this be a problem borne by all Hawaii taxpayers?” 

-Shar Chun-Lum-

“The EIS did not study the probable impact of feces and urine
contamination of Park green spaces and the ocean from king tides, not to mention highly
probable sea-level rise. The EIS did not review how to prevent a likely increase in free roaming
dogs throughout the park.”

-Brad Frye-

Issue: NO DOG PARK in Ala Moana Park. “Dogs do not belong on the beach”, exclaimed veterinarian Brian Bagnall at a recent Malama Moana Town Hall meeting on August 16, 2018, while he and officials from the City Council, Department of Design and Construction and Department of Parks and Recreation were joined as panelists to discuss and entertain questions, from the public, about the Ala Moana Master Plan DEIS. Dr. Brian Bagnall, further explained the serious pet borne health risks that could affect humans by contacting pet feces. (Testimony on Resolution 18-180)

-Bruce Lum-