Reminder: June 2 Takoma Park public hearing on Dog Park options, 7 pm

A reminder:

The city council will hold a public hearing, Monday evening June 2, to invite your comment on city dog-park options. The hearing starts at 7 pm.

The council has allocated $70,000, in the city’s budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, toward dog-park construction, although we could spend much more than this amount, depending on the site(s) chosen, the type of fencing used, etc.

There are several candidate sites, as described in the council backgrounder. The leading options are Heffner Park and the Prince George’s Avenue triangle. The Heffner Park site is adjacent to the parking lot at the end of Darwin Avenue. That lot serves the Takoma Piney Branch Neighborhood Park and could be used by dog-park visitors. A Heffner Park dog park that fully uses the available space would require installation of retaining walls, given the grade at the site. The Prince George’s Avenue site, just west of New Hampshire Avenue, is flat but nestled closer to homes.

The city could create a dog park at either location, or at both or somewhere else. Your testimony Monday evening will help us decide. If you can’t make the hearing, please do relay your view to the mayor and councilmembers via clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.

The full agenda for Monday evening’s council meeting is online. Open comment, on topics other than the dog park, is scheduled for 7:30 pm.