COSTA MESA : Park for Dogs to Be Considered Tonight

Thousands of dogs would run free in their own park under a Community Services Department proposal expected tonight at the City Council meeting.

Many residents have complained about feces and unleashed dogs in the city’s 26 parks, said Park Supt. David J. Alkema, and the proposed solution is a three-acre fenced area in the southeast part of TeWinkle Park, where dogs could run off-leash. Plastic “mutt mitts” would be provided to help owners clean up after their animals.

The central Costa Mesa park would probably be used by many people, Alkema said, and could even attract dog owners from outside the city.

The dog park won unanimous approval Oct. 27 from the Parks, Recreation Facilities and Parkways Commission.

“We’ve had a real problem in the city parks with dog feces,” said Commissioner Richard Mehren. “In some of the parks, you can hardly walk there without soiling yourself.”

Signs in the park would ask people to clean up after their dogs. Though the city cut its park rangers staff to save money last summer, peer pressure should keep the park clean, he said.

If the park becomes too dirty, it would probably be closed for cleaning, he said. The threat of closure at another dog park, in Laguna Beach, encourages people to pick up after their pets, he said.

The Laguna Beach dog park is apparently the only other one in the county, said Alkema. Mehren said some residents who asked for the park told him they now drive to the smaller Laguna Beach dog area. “They have given it rave notices,” Mehren said.

The dog park would cost about $11,500--for a chain-link fence, signs and a resurfaced parking area. The proposal suggests that the city look for corporate sponsorship, donations or other fund raising to pay for the park.

Alkema said that if the park is approved, it could open by Jan. 1.