RESIDENT
CONCERNS
SMELL AND NOISE
We talked to and gathered support and petition signatures
from residents that are adjacent to or live near Kaiaka Park. Most residents
were very supportive of the idea. A few residents expressed concerns about
noise and smell. Although we don't foresee smell being an issue (it's not a
problem in other dog parks) because an irrigation system will be installed, we
understand the noise concern. This is why we chose to set back the proposed dog
park location about 230 feet from any residences on Haleiwa Road. In addition, based on numerous visits to dog parks around the country and on the island, our group has found that there is usually not much barking going on in a dog park, because unlike a dog kennel, dogs in dog parks are off-leash and busy running around and playing with other dogs.
SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF SCHOOL CHILDREN
One of our volunteers met with Diane Matsukawa, former
principal of Haleiwa Elementary School which is next to Kaiaka Park. Ms.
Matsukawa is supportive of the dog park idea and did not express any concerns. However we have still chosen to set the dog
park fence back 19+ feet from the Haleiwa Elementary School fence so that the dogs
in the dog park would not pose any threat to the children through the fence. In
addition, dog parks are mostly used after work hours and on the
weekends, so the dog park should not be a major distraction for school
children.
Current principal Mrs. Wetzel expressed a concern regarding the safety of the school children. We explained to Mrs. Wetzel that the dog park will be fully enclosed and 19+ feet away from the elementary school fence. Mrs. Wetzel did not specify what exactly her safety concern was.
A 2003 study conducted by Helbert, Hastert & Fee
Planners, Inc. on behalf of the Hawaiian Humane Society showed that the majority of dog parks on the mainland US are located within existing parks and school playgrounds. This statistic would not be true if dog parks posed a threat to the existing parks and schools.
HEALTH HAZARD
David Kingdon, Master's of Health, has conducted research on
behalf of the Ala Wai K-9 Playground dog park group, showing that a dog
park would not pose a health risk to an adjacent school or to nearby
residents.
Click here to read the documentation.
HAWAIIAN SACRED SITE
Based on historical and archaeological documentation, it is believed that an
ancient heiau named Kapukapuakea was once located in the general area. Our research shows that Kapukapuakea Heiau is located on several acres, mauka of Puaena Point, Haleiwa Beach Park and the
‘Uko’a and Lokoea
fishponds. The heiau is not located within Kaiaka Bay Beach Park, as the community has been misled to believe. The proposed dog park would not
interfere with Kapukapuakea Heiau in any way. North Shore Woof Pack participated in a site visit of Kapukapuakea Heiau in March 2010. Click here for more information about Kapukapuakea Heiau.
Additionally, the proposed dog park location is over 1000 feet from the Pohaku Lanai stones in Kaiaka Park. Please see the maps above.
PARKING AND HANDICAP ACCESS
A few area residents were concerned that dog park users would park illegally on Haleiwa Road and/or take up all the parking slots that are currently near the soccer area within Kaiaka Park. We have designed parking stalls specifically for dog park users, including handicap parking and ramp.
RECENT
EVENTS
* 1/26/2010 -
The City and County asked us to return to the North Shore Neighborhood Board for a re-vote. The Kaiaka dog park was rejected because of the negative community campaign led by North Shore Neighborhood Board's Jacob Ng and the group Malama Keia 'Aina 'o Haleiwa, who falsely claimed that the dog park would be built on top of and desecrate Kapukapuakea Heiau.
* 10/2009 - Completed a survey, irrigation design and revised dog park design, submitted to DPR for final approval.
* 9/2009 - Submitted Form 1023 (application for 501c3 status) to the IRS. We are currently awaiting approval.
* 6/17/2009 - Attended a meeting with DPR to discuss details and changes to the original dog
park design. The latest design will include a small dog area, and the location
of the dog park entrance will be moved to a location near existing parking
spots, in order to be ADA-compliant.
* 4/16/2009 - Submitted dog park proposal to DPR. Along with the
proposal, we submitted a petition with almost 400 signatures, emails of support
from community members, a conceptual drawing of the dog park, and a letter of
support from Hawaiian Humane Society. We received a letter from DPR Director
Chang on 6/1/2009 with his positive feedback on the proposal. Click here
to view Director Chang's letter.
* 2/24/2009 - Presented the dog park plan at the North
Shore Neighborhood Board Meeting to provide information and answer questions.
The board voted to support the conceptual plan of the dog park. All except one
of the approximately fifteen board members voted in support of the plan.
* Click here to
view Council Member Donovan Delacruz's facilitation letter. Donovan Delacruz
and his aide Reed Matsuura have been very helpful in moving this dog park
effort along.
NEXT STEPS
* Get final approval of the revised dog park design from Dept. of
Parks & Recreation.
* Publish information about the dog park in local
publications.
* Solicit in-kind donations, including fencing, plumbing and labor, from local
businesses and contractors.
* Hold fundraising events to gather monetary donations for supplies such as fencing,
signage and water fountain.
If you would like to get involved in this dog park effort
or would like to receive updates on the progress, please email us at info@nswoofpack.org.
