Skinner Park Advisory Council - Dog Advocacy Committee

Dog Advocacy Committee (DAC):

September 3, 2008 - Community Meeting

6:30pm - 7:30pm - Playground Meeting

7:30pm - 8:30pm - Dog Park Meeting

Everyone is invited to attend both meetings!

Please attend this community meeting where the Chicago Park District will present its proposal for a small dog park at the SE corner of Laflin and Monroe on the WY Teachers Parking Lot to see if their proposal meets your needs.

Update- July 2008! - At the joined meeting of the advisory council and the community dog park meeting, all in attendance unanimously voted for the Loomis St. location over the WY Teachers Parking Lot. The Loomis St. conceptual design and proposal was UNANIMOUSLY approved by all in attendance. (approx 40 people in attendance - same number as playground meeting on June 23). See detail highlights on main page.

Please send an email to the aldermen by clicking Here.

Update - May 2008 - Please email Alderman Fioretti ( 2nd Ward ) and Alderman Burnett (27th ward ) to move forward on the Loomis St. Dog Park. There is no reason why this process should take so long. Ask them to honor their election promises.

Please send an email to the aldermen by clicking Here.

Update - February 2007! Alderman Madeline Haithcock ( 2nd Ward ) has announced that she will co-sponsor an ordinance with Alderman Burnett at the March 2007 City Council meeting for the transfer of Loomis St. to create the dog park. Thank you to Alderman Haithcock for her support. We are waiting for a written confirmation from Alderman Burnett, who has given us a verbal commitment for his sponsorship.

Joel Pickus of Pickus Development has made a commitment to donate the construction of the dog park as a gift to the community. Pickus Development has work on several developments in the neighborhood. Thank you to Joe Pickus for his generosity in giving back to the community that he builds in.

Update - October 2006! We have submitted an alternate proposal to the City of Chicago to create a community based Dog Park instead of a Chicago Park District Dog Park at Skinner Park - Loomis St in October, 2006. If approved, we can have a dog park by Spring 2007. Please write to Alderman Walter Burnett and Alderman Madeline Haithcock in support of this new proposal.

History:

Dog Advocacy Committee (DAC)

Formed since 2001, the Dog Advocacy Committee is a grassroots community based volunteer organization consisting of neighborhood residents and friends of Skinner Park who are both dog owners and non-dog owners concerned with the well being of all park users.

The Dog Advocacy Committee (DAC) is a sub-committee under the Skinner Park Advisory Council. The Skinner Park Advisory Council is an all volunteer non-profit community group. The advisory council provides “back room operational” support to the DAC.

History

DAC has been organized and actively working towards a dog friendly area (DFA) since 2001. Over the past several years, our neighborhood has undergone significant changes. Gone are many of the industrial businesses and vacant buildings, and in their place are condos and town homes. These condos and town homes have very little green space. Many of the developments are occupied by people who are dog owners who utilize Skinner Park on a daily basis. The DAC has had help from many of the residents of the West Loop who have dedicated their time and resources over the past few years with the hopes of making the dream of a DFA a reality at Skinner Park – Loomis Street.

Important Background: While the dog friendly area is part of the framework plan for Skinner Park. The Chicago Park District requires dog owners wanting a dog park to fulfill a separate multi-year process to gain community support.

The Dog Advocacy Committee has completed all the requirements as stipulated in the Chicago Park District's Dog Friendly Area Proposal Guidelines. We have held all the required public meetings, collected petition signatures, conducted a long term usage survey, gotten letters of support, etc.

We submitted the dog proposal to the Chicago park District FALL 2004 and are still awaiting a letter indicating written approval for the dog park similar to the letter provided to the South Loop dog owners.

New Important : October, 2006 We have submitted an alternate proposal to the City of Chicago to create a community based Dog Park at Loomis St.

Current Goals

Currently, the primary goal of the Dog Advocacy Committee is to work towards the creation of a DFA located at Skinner Park – Loomis St. We believe that a DFA would provide a place where people and well-behaved dogs could socialize and exercise in a clean and safe environment while sharing the park with other users.

We believe that the creation of a DFA at Skinner Park will provide many benefits, including:

Provide a vital public space for dog owners to build community through socializing, discussing neighborhood issues & concerns while sharing an activity together at the DFA.
Allow dogs to exercise and socialize off-leash. (Socialization and exercise makes dogs friendlier and less prone to nuisance barking.)
Promote responsible dog ownership / Reduce the likelihood that dogs will be off-leash in other areas of the park.
Deter drug and other illegal activities (dog owners are frequent park users and create a presence that deters illegal activities).
Reduce police resources that are used to enforce leash laws in the park.

Mission Statement

To promote the safe and responsible usage of Skinner Park by everyone, especially dog owners and their dogs so that Skinner Park may be a community asset and amenity for all.

FAQs:

Q: When will the DFA be built?

A: We are currently working on an alternate proposal with the City of Chicago instead of the Park District and hope to have a dog park in place by Spring of 2007.

Q: Where is the Dog Friendly Area (DFA) proposed in Skinner Park?

A: The proposed site of the DFA is actually not in Skinner Park. It is proposed to be on the closed section of Loomis Street next to Skinner Park. Loomis St. is currently the property of the City of Chicago and is not owned by the Chicago Park District. As part of the alternate plan, the closed section of Loomis St. will be transferred to the advisory council as a volunteer non-profit community group. The advisory council and the dog park advocacy committee will have the responsibility of maintaining this area. This area is split between the 2nd ward and the 27th ward.

Q: How much of Skinner Park will be used for the Dog Park?

A: No part of Skinner Park will be used for the the dog park since it will take up the closed section of Loomis St from Adams to Monroe. This was the location suggested by the Park District during the framework planning process.

Q: How can I help to expedite this process?

A: Write to Alderman Burnett and Alderman Fioretti and ask them to support and expedite this process.

Email the aldermen with this link. Please send an email by clicking Here.

Q: How many people have sign a petition in support of the dog park?

A: Over 1,000 people have signed the petition.

The Chicago Park District Rules for a Dog Friendly Area

Owners are legally responsible for their dogs.
Owners must remain with their dogs at all times.
Dogs must be leashed before and after leaving the area.
Owners must immediately pick up after their dogs.
All dogs must have their shots.
No female dogs in heat.
Only three dogs per person allowed.
Puppies under 4 months old are prohibited.
Dogs with a known history of dangerous behavior are prohibited.

Revised: 08/17/2008