Mesa Verde residents bark for park

Deirdre Newman

Some Mesa Verde residents want a space of their own in Estancia Park

so their dogs can play off-leash.

Currently, the only place where dogs are allowed to roam freely is

the Bark Park next to TeWinkle Park.

Bryan Green and his wife, Abele, are leading the charge to get the

city to dedicate a portion of Estancia Park, on the former Balearic

School field, as an off-leash area in the mornings until 8:30 a.m.

Later this month, they will take their request to the Parks and

Recreation Commission.

The dog-friendly group includes about 35 people, who had been

using the Balearic field area for about six months before the city

told them to stop, Green said. Using this particular area fosters a

sense of camaraderie between neighbors, he added.

“We’ve made so many good friends as a result of our dogs and now

we’re unable to do what we want to do,” Green said.

Mark Taylor, a management analyst with the city’s recreation

department, said he is currently researching the dog owners’ request.

The issue is tricky because the city leases the Balearic site from

the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and the area is not enclosed

like the Bark Park.

“I’m talking to animal control, the city attorney and risk

management because, obviously, dogs off-leash present a different

liability than dogs on-leash,” Taylor said.

The owners would only bring their dogs in the mornings when there

aren’t a lot of people around and clean up after their dogs, Green

said. They don’t want to use the Bark Park because they don’t know

the owners of those dogs and Estancia Park is more convenient, he

added.

“We don’t like the Bark Park,” he said. “It’s too messy. We don’t

know the owners. We don’t know if the dogs have their shots. With our

neighbors, we know the dogs are well trained.”

Green said he understands the concern about liability and that’s

why the group is only seeking the privilege in the early morning

hours.

“We’re not hurting anyone,” Green said. “There’s no one at the

park. It’s us and our dogs.”

The dog owners would even be amenable to paying a higher licensing

fee for their dogs to cover the liability, he added.

Another issue is who would get to use the off-leash area, if it is

ultimately approved by the council. The Bark Park is open to everyone

that wants to use it, whether they’re a resident or not, and if

approved, this one would be too, Taylor said.