Dog Park
Little River Airport Proposal

Develop a well-maintained Dog Park at the Little River Airport for dogs to exercise, socialize, play, chase balls and walk with their human companions. The development of the Dog Park will be done in several stages, starting with the Fencing.

General description of Area

Park Area

· Fence entire area, except Driveway, Parking & Buffer Zone

· Retain existing Trees & large Shrubs where possible to maintain the natural appearance of the property and to provide shaded areas

· Double Gated System to ensure no escapes

Buffer Zone

· Create a Buffer Zone from Road to block view of Park, Driveway & Parking

· Driveway & Parking to be shielded by the Buffer Zone

· Parking for 10 cars

Other

· Shed (10' x 12') for Equipment & Supplies

Proposed Location

The new proposed location is 4 acres East of Albion Airport Road located on Non-Aviation County owned Property. This property is less dense with trees and shrubs, but is considerably smaller than the prior location.

Artist concept

Development Phases

Phrase 1

Security

· 6 Foot Chain-link, Wildlife Fence or Stable Fence

· Double Gated - to prevent escapes

· Separate Large Dog & Small Dog Areas

· Access Gate for Truck

Dog Comforts

· Watering Station with Dog Water Buckets

· Toy Box with Tennis Balls & Frisbees

People Comforts

· Benches & Picnic Table

Clean up

· Poop Bags

· Pooper Scoopers

· 2 Wheeled Garbage Cans

Phrase 2

General Improvements

· Wheel Chair Access by adding Paved Access from Parking Area

· On-Site Potable Water

· Bulletin Board

· Street Sign

Dog Comforts

· Water Fountain

People Comforts

· Water Fountain

· Restroom

· Stock Tank for Bathing

Proposed Maintenance

Volunteers will do all routine and special maintenance initially. It is hoped that eventually someone living close to the Park can perform the daily maintenance.

General Maintenance

(May vary depending on Number of Visitors & Site requirements)

· Visitors required to dispose of all debris in available Cans.

· Monthly Cleanup - Volunteers will be scheduled for Duties

· Quarterly Landscaping & Cleanup - Volunteers will be scheduled for Duties

Trash Disposal

· Scheduled Trash Dumps - Saturday, Sunday & Wednesday - Albion Trash Dump Days

· Volunteers will be scheduled for Duties

Fencing

There are several types of good fencing 1) Vinyl Coated Chain Link 2) Wildlife Fencing - 14 & 12 Gauge 3) Stable Wire - 12 gauge. The final choice needs further investigation and approval. See Appendix for Fencing Literature.

Parking

It has been estimated that 10 Parking Places should be created initially. It was determined that on an average 2 to 4 cars will be present during normal Operating Hours, with an maximum average of 5 to 6. This information was gathered from a very un-scientific observation of Owners & Dogs visiting the Big River Beach.

Ten Parking Places should be sufficient for Monthly and Quarterly Clean-up events and Scheduled Classes. Other special events will require adequate planning before the may be scheduled.

Operating Hours

Daylight hours.

Proposed Budget - 2001

Donations			#	$	Total
	One Time Donations		20	120	2,400
	Memberships		350	20	7,000
	Dollar Mail-In Program		450	1	450
	Sponsors - Ads		4	100	400
	Restaurant Dinners		2		3,600
	Raffles - 4		4		1,752
	Scoopers, Bags, Buckets				75
	Other
Total Donations					15,677
Costs			#	$	Total
		Flyers, Stamps etc.			500
		Phone			300
		Post Office Box			40
		D&O Insurance			200
	Total Office Expenses				1,040
		Fence			5,357
		Clearing & Bulldozing			500
		Driveway & Parking			5,000
		Shrubs & Landscaping			500
		Bulletin Board			400
		Signs			200
		Poopers Scoopers, Bags & Cans			135
		Liability Insurance			967
		Contingency			1,568
		Maintenance			-
		Other			-
	Total Park Expenses				14,627
Total Expenses					15,667
Net Budget					11

Proposed Rules

· Always keep your eye on your dog. Mischief can happen quickly.

· Never leave your dog unattended.

· Always clean up after your dog. Poop bags or Scoopers are available - so use them.

· Dogs should be current on their shots and should a valid License.

· Don’t bring dogs younger than 4 months, except to a Special Puppy Class.

· Don’t bring a female dog in season. Spayed/neutered animals are recommended.

· Don’t bring more than four dogs.

· Keep your dog on-leash until you get to the off-leash area.

· If your dog becomes unruly or plays rough, leash him and leave immediately.

· Children must be supervised at all times.

· Pick up your trash - all trash!

· Use of the Dog Park is subject to all of the above RULES!

MCDP Proposed Mission

Mendocino Coast Dog Parks (MCDP) is dedicated to

· Establishing and maintaining safe, responsible, off-leash dog parks or recreation areas for dogs on the Mendocino Coast. The Dog Parks will allow well-behaved canine citizens a place to exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering or annoying people, property or wildlife.

· Promoting humane treatment and improving their quality of life of dogs by providing educational handouts and classes for the dogs and their human companions.

· Providing opportunities to vaccinate & license their dogs.

· Providing a Community Service that our financially strapped County and Cities have been unable to provide for its taxpaying citizens.

Benefits of A Dog Park

We are all aware of the benefits of dog and pet ownership. These companions improve our physical and mental well-being. So we have the dogs and we want to provide them with a healthy life style and ensure they get the exercise they need. Everyone has seen their neighbors walking down the streets and back roads for their daily constitutional, exercising their dog. We all know of someone who uses semi-public space to allow his or her dog to frolic, catch a frisbee or play with a friend.

Dog Parks provide a safe, clean space for which to exercise.

In our ever-increasing fragmented and isolated society, friendly gatherings have a positive impact on the community and its citizens.

Dog Parks provide a positive opportunity to bring people together in a common space with common interests.

The elderly particularly benefit from a Dog Park. In addition to the benefits of social interaction, the elderly may be less mobile and unable to walk long distances or through the sand to the "De Facto" Dog Beach.

Dog Parks provide an easy access location for the elderly to safely exercise their Dogs in a pleasant social environment.

Over 30% of Households have Dogs and as Taxpayers they should have similar access to our public lands and parks as the 35% of the Households with children. More and more of the travelers to the Coast bring their dogs. The increasing number of local Hotels allowing dogs evidences this. The few visitors that we have contacted all expressed interest in visiting a nice Dog Park on their next visit.

Dog Parks are Recreation Areas for local Taxpayers.

All mammals need interaction, mental stimulation and exercise; humans and dogs alike. Most dog owners know a "Good Dog" is a "Tired Dog" and a little exercise makes for a very happy dog. They are less destructive and less likely to end up in the County Shelter. Socialized dogs make better citizens and less likely to develop aggressive behaviors, also a cause for a dog to be end up in the County Shelter.

Dog Parks enhance the good behavior in dogs and may relieve some of the burden on our County Shelter.

Less experienced Dog Owners benefit from the knowledge shared about dogs and dog behavior at Dog Parks. Educational materials available from organizations such as ASPCA and the American Veterinary Medical Association will be made available to reinforce responsible dog ownership. One example is a handout for children on Dog Bite Prevention. See the Appendix.

Dog Parks promote responsible Dog ownership.

Supporters

The interest in the Dog Park has been over welling. With a minimal of effort we have gathered about 400 Supporters, including over 50 local businesses and organizations. They include our Partner Organization, the Mendocino Coast Humane Society, local Hotels, Veterinarians, Dog Trainers, Pet Stores, Kennels and more. Almost 100 people have requesting to be kept regularly informed of our ongoing activities and 33 people who have offered to volunteer their help. The majority of the Supporters live on the Coast from Albion to Fort Bragg, but we have a long list of others located inland or in other parts of the State that visit our Coast with their dogs and would like to utilize a nice Dog Park.

County & Coast Demographics

Population 1990 80,345[1]

Population 1998 86,900 - Mendocino County (1998)[2]

Population Increase 7.5%

Housing Units - 1990 30,419 occupied of 33,649 - Mendocino County2

Housing Units with Children 1990 10,614 - 34.8% of Households[3]

Housing Units - 2000 36,937 - Mendocino County[4]

5,000 - Mendocino Coast[5]

3,051 - Fort Bragg4

Households with Dogs (1996) 31.6%[6]

Average Dogs per Household (1996) 1.76

Estimated Dogs 3.060 - Mendocino Coast5

Dog Bites 375 (1999) - Mendocino County[7]