Sounds like Kamenetz is trying to give Dundalk something since he is taking away their Government Center that holds Dept. and Rec. and closing Eastwood Elementary to merge it with Norwood Elementary and Holabird Middle. Guess he is dangling a carrot for them.

I also don't know why it takes so much money - more than $20,000 for a dog park? Can someone PLEASE break down some of the costs? I have never seen anything that gives the general public an idea of what amount is needed and why. I think it would be very helpful, especially for those of us who have helped raise money already!

i'm a dog lover, but having taken a late beloved pet to an established dog park was pretty disgusting with piles of feces, dogs running loose & obviously not neutered/spayed, potty smells, slippery muddy messes mixed with poop.....yuck!

Opinion of Terry Nolan

The people organizing the Perry Hall dog park have had an amazing effort raising the money for the dog park and hopefully they will get to their goal. I don't agree the County should fund the Perry Hall dog park or a dog park in Dundalk. The County funds are so limited that the maintenance on many of the existing Parks and Recreation facilities and fields, used by thousands of adults and children, is at a minimum and can't keep up with the use the community requires. The comment from Ms Smith points to the same maintenance issue with an established dog park. The County can't fund everything, we need funding and services from private and volunteer sources. Although this would require a certain amount of control, for these groups, on how the funds and services are used.

A question I have--why is Baltimore County funding the othr dog parks, but not Pery Hall's?

I have been following this effort since the start and it has been plaqued by question and contradictions. Please correct me if I'm wrong on any of my statements :
It was 1st estimated by this group that the cost would be around $50,000, my understanding that was based on an estimate given by a local contractor. The parks and recs then said the group would need to raise $150,000 . There was never a clear explanation on why ? just because we said so by the parks and rec.
Mr Marks has been an supporter of this effort, but when pushed on why the county could not fund this effort. I was told that I don't understand the way it works and it's not as easy as just entering a bill in county council for funding, now it turns out it's easier that introducing a bill, just get the money in the budget by the chairman.
Those that were asked to donate were never given a resonable explanation on what happens to these funds collected if the park is never built ? Which now seems like a very real possiablity. Don't get me wrong I want I dog park in Perry Hall as much as anybody. But we are talking about a fence and some gates, people will bring their own water for the dogs, park is open to everyone so no need for card reader, just like the Ma and Pa park and the Rebels Dog park. This has been overblown and just needs to be done. Stop all the mannuvers and meetings, just take the $20,000 and ask local contractors to bid and we all can be enjoying this by the summer.

I love the comments of people who dont go to the Perry Hall park commenting on the fecal matter of the dog park.

The nurses at my hospital sponsor an elementary school in need annually. The nurses purchase all the school supplies and the hospital purchases back packs for each child. This is where money needs to be spent and not on a dog park. Give me a break!

Dogs are family members also in addition they are teachers,best friends and healers. People and children can learn alot from dogs. I know I am at the Park almost everyday and the dog owners that take their dogs to the grassy field pick up after their dogs and others.If every other county and Balto City can fund dog parks why not have one in Perry Hall. There is a field that cost over a million and it sits idle all winter.

Evets- I am at the Honeygo regional park every day , there is not as much fecal matter as you are describing. I cannot confirm about across the bridge , but on the paths where walkers/riders should be there is not. Also, I know that there are dog owners that are bad with their picking up of waste , but those are not the ones that are at the park on a regular basis.

Tim,
Do you mean like the people who "stormed" the stadium last Tuesday. Isn't it obvious that most people don't have any respect for others anymore?

Thanks Paul for letting Gomer know that the dog park is not free and we have to pay a membership.

We have gone to a couple of differnt dog parks in differnt counties and there was never a need for a keycard or a membership fee. One of the risk of a dog park is your dog could have all the needed shots but another dog coming in might not. When you go to the parks you are aware of this in advance. The only reason for a keycard is to keep track of all the dogs in the park having all their shots but it is not a guarentee since when you open the gate to leave someone else can walk in with their dog that doesn't have a keycard. If I have to pay to take my dog to play off the leash I will continue to take him to camp where the dogs have all gotten their shots, if you don't have proof your dog is sent away, and it is clean.

I always assumed that as it stands now, the dog park area at honeygo park's maintenance is funded by parks and rec (please correct me if I am wrong). Why is there a need for separate funding? Water supply and key-card access are luxury items that do not need to be added right now. A fence would be the only reasonable addition. If enough money has been raised for proper fencing, just hire someone to build it (otherwise a grant just to cover that cost would be needed) and let parks and rec keep paying for it's maintenance. Additional funds could be secured by renting out the space (like you would the fields or pavilions) for private functions, by animal clubs, or for dog obedience courses.

As it is now that area gets a nice amount of traffic by responsible owners who have control of their dogs. Whenever I go there, these responsible owners bring plenty of bags and water. I kind of like that there is no fence because I have control of my dog, and know that other dogs who go will also be well-behaved. It would be nice to have the addition of a fence but I don't see the need for anything else if the county is hesitant to provide more funds.