It's Been Quiet Work but the Dog Park Progresses.....

Hello All,

We're moving forward with converting the Edgehill tennis courts, or used-to-be tennis courts, into an off-leash, dog exercise area. In the earlier posting, we offered hearty thanks to the Town of Cary for buying into our idea, quite literally.

Creating the dog park itself isn't too complicated a task because the core components already exist. That being a flat piece of ground with the fence too high for dogs to jump over it and run away. The old tennis courts are perfect!

The work of calling vendors - multiple vendors - to check prices on services and equipment is a time consuming and lonely task but absolutely essential if we're to secure the best value for the money we spend and to enter a business relationship that could yield future services for Edgehill as we need them and business for a company that relies on stable and reliable clients. I'm learning that's very important for HOA's to do. You wouldn't believe the savings you get by simply meeting face-to-face and following through if negotiations work out.

The first step of this project is to get some fencing installed inside the tennis court area. The fencing will create a double-gated entry into the exercise area. There will be an entry for a "small dog" play area and a "large dog" play area. The fencing will be a professional installation.

Step two is installing some deck timbers along the bottom of the tall perimeter fence. Some Edgehill residents recommended it and so did the Town of Cary. We've bought the decking planks and wire and will install the perimeter, hopefully, later this week.

Step three is getting signs created. Dropping off the dog park rules to be printed on a sign took about 15 minutes after I had lunch one day. Creative Images of downtown Cary is conjuring the design. In filling out the Town of Cary Grant application, I told them that the Maynard Road Dog Park's rules looked good and, since they're city approved, we'd use it as a template. Cary likes conformity and, I admit, it makes things easier for drawing up dog park rules.

Here are the rules gleaned and slightly modified for Edgehill's use since we're actually a private dog park as opposed to Maynard Road:

Edgehill Farm Dog Park Rules

Park is open from sunrise to sunset.

Dogs shall wear a collar with rabies vaccination tag at all times; no spiked collars allowed.

Cary ordinance requires owners to pick up their dog's waste and dispose of it in provided containers

Each adult may have a maximum of 2 dogs at a time in the park.

Owners are solely responsible for any injury or damage caused by your dog.

If your dog inflicts an injury, give your name and telephone number to the other dog owner before leaving.

Prevent injuries by supervising your dog at all times.

Never leave your dog unattended.

No female dogs in heat are allowed.

No food (animal food or people food), treats, or bones are allowed inside the fenced area.

No littering: wrappers and other litter can be eaten by dogs and cause a choking or digestion hazard which can be life-threatening!

No smoking inside the dog park.

No strollers, bicycles, tricycles, big-wheels, wagons, roller-blades, etcetera are allowed in the dog park except wheelchairs used by people with physical challenges.

Wear shoes at all times.

Children 12 and under are not allowed inside the fenced area.

Dogs under 4 months are prohibited.

Use at own risk.

All bites must be reported by contacting the Animal Control office at (919) 319-4517. Town of Cary ordinance Sec. 6-69 (b) Animal Bites, Notification. Reporting Bite. It shall be unlawful for a person to fail to report to Animal Control as soon as possible that an animal has bitten a person. It shall be unlawful for any person to fail to inform the Animal Control unit the location to which an animal that has bitten a human being has been taken if the owner has given the animal away, or caused in any way the animal to be taken from the owner's premises. In case of an Emergency call 911.

Owners who fail to follow rules and regulations are subject to loss of park privileges.

The full Edgehill Farm Master Association will review these rules at the Tuesday July 14th, 2009 monthly meeting.

Step Four involves negotiating with a professional pet waste removal company. There are at least three (that I've found) that will service the dog park on a weekly basis by keeping our pet waste stations stocked with baggies while emptying our waste baskets. This service is necessary from the obvious health and wellness aspects but also from a common sense perspective. It is contingent to our grant that professionals handle waste management. Dog owners will still be required to clean up their dog's waste and deposit it in the pet waste canisters. There's a reason it will be Rule #3.

Step Five is asking area tree trimming companies to dump their wood mulch/shavings at the tennis court parking lot if they're passing our way. This is a wonderful act of generosity and I'm making calls this week.

Additional steps include buying a few benches for the humans and maybe a trash can for human trash. You wanna be careful bringing lunch in the dog park if there's a crowd there. You might prove to be a little too popular with the dogs!

I easily recognize the need for a water outlet somewhere in the dog park but, frankly, don't have enough grant money to make it happen. The dog/human multipurpose water fountains you find at Bond Park cost over $3,000 each and that doesn't include the plumbing we'd need to run for about 100 feet. So, bring a bottle of water.

That's about it in a nutshell. Those neighbors who've offered to volunteer some time, we'll be ramping up the work about the time the mulch arrives as that's easily the most labor intensive. If I've got your name during our "petition drive," I'll be contacting you soon.

The goal is to open the dog park on, or before, September 1st, 2009. I'm thinking "before."

Contact me if you have any questions.

The Tuesday July 14th Edgehill Master Association Meeting is the one to attend if you want more information on the dog park's progress. Email me if you'd like to attend and I'll draw up some printed notes for an audience. You're also welcome to simply drop by.

Kelly Mc