Bark Park won’t be coming to Fairview

Lolita Harper

Proponents of a dog park at Fairview Park left City Hall with

their tails between their legs Monday after the City Council

scratched the four-legged playing field from the park’s master plan.

Council members voted 4 to 1 to eliminate the proposed “Bark Park”

after receiving a letter from state environmental officials about

possible conflicts with the surrounding habitat.

The Department of Fish and Game became aware of plans for a dog

park on the east side of Fairview Park about a month ago, when the

Orange County Model Railroad Engineers asked to expand their tracks

there. The railroad was scheduled to run near the proposed dog park,

but state fish and game officials had concerns about a lone burrowing

owl in the area.

Environmental officials found a compromise for the proposed

tracks, but on further examination of the Fairview Park master plan,

wrote a letter to the city outlining concerns with other projects

that may cause problems for the burrowing owl.

“Reconsider the master plan uses for this portion of Fairview

Park, given the high-value biological resources identified east of

Placentia [Avenue,],” the letter reads. “... While the department

believes the model engineer’s use of the site may be compatible with

the burrowing owl, the other proposed uses, including a pond, the dog

park and the botanical garden, would not be compatible.”

Council members chose to eliminate the dog park from the plan

rather than spend the extra money to go forward with designs and hire

a biological monitor for the area, only to find out there were

additional problems with state officials.

“I would like to put the cart before the horse,” Councilwoman

Karen Robinson said. “To approve something and change it all later

doesn’t make any sense.”

Terry Tyson, a member of the Bark Park Foundation, said he was

disappointed in the council’s actions and hopes another site can be

found for a new park.

The existing Bark Park off of Arlington Avenue is overcrowded, and

animal lovers need another place to take their dogs, he said, adding

that the council gave up on the idea too easily.

“With my bias, I thought it was their duty to continue to

investigate to see whether something could fit in,” Tyson said. “It

was their responsibility to investigate it to an absolute yes or no.”

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.