Planners unleash dog park plans, encourage action

By Barbara Luis
Staff Writer

Tentative plans for a dog park to be located inside Jeffrey Fontana Park in Almaden Valley shoved another giant paw forward this week with the help of San Jose Vice-Mayor Pat Dando. Sixty local residents interested in helping to shape the formation of the open space for canines gathered with several city officials at Guadalupe Elementary School Monday night. Three versions of a landscape architect’s vision for the dog park were clarified and discussed during a two-hour session inside the school’s cafeteria.

Of the three, residents in attendance at the meeting then voted to accept “Version 3AB” which offers local dogs and their human pals natural instead of manmade turf and the most open space without infringing on non-owner’s park space.

Vice-Mayor Dando chaired the meeting, which featured the park’s landscape architect, J. Michael Wharton and former San Jose City Parks and Recreation Department manager Todd Capurso.

Dando advised those residents in attendance that the sooner the dog park makes it through the system the better, because the longer plans are held up, the more likely it becomes that other city park projects will come along to compete for available funding. She also advised that natural turf would represent the lowest maintenance cost while offering the most open space.

“There is some money (the City) has held aside for this (the dog park), but it is a limited amount. So when we’re talking about investment in this, we have to talk about the best bang for the buck and part of that is consideration of the maintenance bill.”

Now that the decision has been made democratically about which version of the dog park is most wanted, a subcommittee made up of five local residents will decide how best to present the park’s final version to the San Jose City Council for approval.

According to subcommittee member Joan Taylor, “(We) will first check out the agreed upon layout, then we will start discussing some of the specifics. How and what the park is going to contain, like the surfacing and some of the amenities, and the placement of certain… like the water and the benches and whatever. But the basic things that need to be in place before we can go ahead.”

Construction can begin once the project is approved and funded by the City. That’s expected to take until early next year. Vice-Mayor Dando says she would like the ribbon-cutting to occur before she leaves office. She wrapped up the meeting by saying she is looking for an opening date of sometime in late fall of next year.

But at least one subcommittee member and the park’s architect say they’re not so sure the project can be completed that soon. Taylor says she’s expecting a timeline of “one and a half to two years” from now.

Landscape architect Wharton agrees. “We’re still at the feasibility level. We’re not even at ‘Master Plan.’ Once we get to ‘Master Plan’ level, then it has to go the Parks and Rec Commission, then go to City Council for approval. Everything has to be funded along the way. Then it can come back and be sent to Public Works for working drawings and then be built.”

Wharton says although he likes Dando’s expectation of sooner rather than later, he expects the project to take at least another year and a half until completion, if not two years.

Resident Robert Eccles has lived in Almaden for seven years and owns an Australian Shepard. Craig England has been lived in various local spots for most of his life. He’s lived in Almaden for the last four years and owns two Border terriers. Both men attended Monday night’s meeting and say they’re encouraged with the way plans are shaping up. According to Eccles, “It is remarkable the level of consensus we have here at this meeting. Usually you get more people that disagree.”

England quickly agreed. “The first meeting there were a lot of people who were concerned about the whole concept of having a dog park in their neighborhood and we didn’t even hear any of that tonight. I don’t know if those if those people didn’t come or what.”

When asked their opinion of why those in opposition may have stayed home, Eccles guessed, “Well, it puts the “off-leash” dogs behind a fence so they’re no longer threatening to people who are afraid of dogs.”

Next in the planning phase is a thorough review of the project by the dog park’s five member subcommittee. Over the next few weeks, the volunteer group will make a number of decisions about the park’s look and overall functionality. Once plans are finalized, they’ll go to the San Jose City Council for approval. There’s no word yet on the date of the next dog park meeting for residents, but those interested in learning more about the project or just keeping tabs on it can call the Vice-Mayor’s office at 277-5251.