Living Here

Doggy danger!
Several issues regarding the new dog park were brought to the attention of GSR X-Files investigators. One issue was that there was broken glass and sharp pieces of metal in the fill that the city was dumping in the park. The concern was about the dogs cutting their paws on the broken glass and sharp metal parts. In a half an hour walk around the park investigators verified the concern and collected twelve pieces of broken glass, three twisted wires, a three inch deck screw and an automotive part. With the exception of the glass bottle base, which was found in the fill along the new sidewalk to the dog park, all the hazardous parts were found in the fill that had been dumped along the fence or in the open area. No hazardous items were found in the grass areas of the park. With the exception of a half dozen golf balls, two tennis balls and few small pieces of litter, the area was quite clean and noticeably cleaner than the area around the skate board park and the parking lot.

Some items found in White River Dog Park, Lake Geneva

The street department needs to be more selective about the dirt that it uses as fill in the dog park, other public parks and around trees to assure that the dirt is free of objects that may be hazardous to people and animals. In addition, another safety issue was noticed. A section of the bottom of the chain link fence protruded into the dog park, presenting a potential hazard to dogs that run along the fence. While writing this article, investigators went back to the park to get a picture of the fence and found two more pieces of broken glass along the path by the fence. A third issue, although it did not occur when a GSR X-Files investigator was there, was that the city workers leave the vehicle entrance gate open while they do their work in the dog park. This defeats the purpose of the fence and allows the dogs to possibly get out, for which the dog owners would be held responsible. The fourth issue is about the areas on the inside of the dog park by the entrance and exit. They are void of grass and muddy. There should be a small area of asphalt/concrete in that heavy traffic area just inside the dog park to allow the traffic to spread into the grass, thus minimizing the traffic in any one spot.

Fence needing repair in White River Dog park, lake Geneva?