Farmington Hills

William Grace site could accommodate dog park

By David Wallace
C & G Staff Writer

FARMINGTON HILLS — The city and Farmington Public Schools are in talks regarding a dog park at the former William Grace Elementary School site, near Shiawassee and Nine Mile roads.

The discussions follow a resident-led committee’s yearlong research into dog parks. The dog-loving residents want Farmington Hills to establish a dog park where dogs can run and play off their leashes in an enclosed area.

“The Paws in the Hills Committee has really worked very hard. We’ve worked for almost a year — usually two meetings a month, sometimes three a month — to put all of this together, to gather the material and the information, and bring the best practices of lessons learned by other dog parks,” said committee member Masha Silver.

The committee provided the City Council with an exhaustive packet proposing rules for the park, discussing etiquette and including other cities’ forms and waivers. The committee placed special emphasis on Northville, which requires residents to take an orientation class before they can use the dog park. Committee members indicated they would require such an orientation for Farmington Hills’ park, should it come to pass.

Dog parks usually charge users an annual fee to cover park maintenance, and the committee said the city would have to set the amount.

“Usually $30 is pretty standard for the entry fee,” said Silver. She said a discount may be offered for an owner who has a second or third dog.

As for policing a dog park, Silver said peer pressure keeps most folks in line.

“It’s similar, I think you’re going to see, to the skate park — the rules and regulations. We post a sign there with a phone number. If there’s an issue in the park, they have someplace to call,” said Farmington Hills Special Services Director Dave Boyer.

Assistant City Manager Dana Whinnery has been talking to the school district about the 8-acre site, which could afford the dog park 2 to 3 acres, depending on the design. It would be placed away from the sidewalk and playground, and offer areas for both large and small dogs.

“We’ll work with the committee, we’ll work with the neighborhood, to really determine the best location,” said Boyer.

“What’s in it for the schools is the possibility of having the city maintain that property, thereby relieving them of the cost of maintaining that property for a period of time, and for us, we fill the need for the public,” said Whinnery.

Whinnery appeared at the Feb. 7 Board of Education meeting to review the idea for the board members with Assistant Superintendent David Ruhland, who handles the district’s contracts. The preliminary agreement shown to the board was for a two-year lease that would be renewed in one-year increments without a notice of termination at least 90 days before the expiration of the original lease or one-year extension. The rent probably would be $1 a year.

“I certainly am here endorsing it from the sense that it is a good use of the property; it keeps it in our inventory. We’re going to be doing a study of our facilities, and we don’t know what our property needs may be, but in the meantime, rather than having it be unused — it would be there for us to continue to maintain — it shows promise that it could serve the community’s needs,” said Ruhland.

Fencing would be the biggest cost, estimated at $10,000 to $35,000, depending on the material chosen. The committee would help raise funds for the park.

“We have to make whatever we’re putting in there, I think, somewhat portable that we could move to another location if things were to change,” said Boyer.

“I’m worried about putting in too much money with only a two-year lease, because at the end of two years, if the school decides it’s not a good fit or it’s not working out, that’s a lot of money down the drain,” said Councilman Randy Bruce.

“It just sounds like a very short-term fix for your city’s problem,” Board of Education Trustee Murray Kahn said Feb. 7.

Ruhland said that even if the park lasted only a short time, it would establish the community’s demand for such a facility.

“If we have that for a couple of years, it will have served a very good purpose,” said Whinnery.

“Is there any possibility of shortening the potential lease cancellation? It makes me uncomfortable to think that a year might transpire between an event that may cause us to terminate the lease, so I would favor something that would allow us to (shorten the cancellation period),” said Board of Education Treasurer Frank Reid.

Ruhland said the two parties will discuss it, but the city does not intend to stand in the district’s way to use its property.

The potential lease will be back for the school board’s vote at its 7:30 p.m. March 6 meeting at the Schulman Administrative Center, 32500 Shiawassee.

“It looks like we might actually have a dog park after we’ve tried to get one since I’ve been on council,” said Mayor Barry Brickner, who has been on council for 12 years.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer David Wallace at dwallace@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1053.