Dogs will not be allowed off-leash at Ray Park Athletic Field, the Burlingame Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously voted at its Feb. 15 meeting after ongoing debate around whether the city should enforce its standing ban or legally open the field area up.
“Clearly, and obviously, this is a very polarizing subject. I don’t think it’s possible to make everyone happy,” Parks and Recreation Commissioner John Brunello said. “Learning that there are people that are not using the athletic field because of the dogs and the safety concern, the liability, those subjects and concerns stand above everything else to me.”
Ray Park has an existing enclosed dog park space, but some dog owners say that the enclosure is too small for bigger dogs and that grass is preferable to the tan bark in the enclosed area, per a survey from Burlingame Parks and Recreation. Those in support of off-leash hours on the field also said that the allowance would make space for Burlingame’s community of dog owners, who benefit from and currently utilize the open space.
Dogs are currently allowed off-leash at varying hours at Skyline Park, Washington Park, Cuernavaca Park and Bayside Dog Exercise Park.
Prominent concerns for off-leash hours on the athletic field included recent $1.4 million renovations to Ray Park and children’s use of the field, both by Lincoln Elementary and sports programs like Burlingame Girls Softball.
Parks and Recreation Commissioner Dale Chang said that Burlingame Girls Softball remained “generally not in favor” of having dogs off-leash. Other concerns include dog feces and potential damage to the field itself.
“One, most of these do restrict field access when it does come to sports fields … there’s a risk of liability, so concern about [the city’s liability] for off-leash dogs, whether kids or dogs get hurt during softball practice,” Chang said. “They would say they spend a considerable amount of time cleaning up after dogs before practice, sometimes during practice, and even getting the kids to focus on softball during practice.”
The vote follows a recommendation by the Dog Park Advisory Group to not allow off-leash dogs on the field, noting there was not enough support for or against from the survey’s fairly mixed results, Recreation Supervisor Kelvin Coggins said.
Although 424 out of over 780 survey participants said they would support off-leash hours at the Ray Park Athletic Field, a majority of those surveyed also said that off-leash hours would negatively impact their usage of the field, Coggins said.
Burlingame residents spoke both for and against off-leash times for dogs during the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.
“Since I was a child, there were always dogs on the field at Ray Park. The neighborhood has known that there is an off the record time when neighbors socialize with each other with our dogs on the field,” Burlingame resident Kim Donellan said in a statement of support for allowing off-leash hours. “Dogs are a part of our family, and we want our family to be a part of the community.”
Recommended for you
Residents also suggested that the decision made at the Feb. 15 meeting could have larger implications for off-leash regulations at fields across the city.
“What is the city’s policy on use of athletic fields for off-leash dog parks versus us focusing on Ray Park? … I think a policy like that would give us some guardrails, so we either allow it or don’t allow it based on policy rather than reinventing the wheel every time,” Burlingame resident Gloria McKay said.
She added that owners often do not pick up after their dogs and asked that enforcement of an off-leash ban be actively carried out by police officers.
Commissioner Howard Wettan acknowledged that the city most likely couldn’t fully control where dogs go, but could take a more productive approach to the problem by incentivizing usage of the existing enclosed dog park space.
“We’ve heard from people who say there are dozens of people out there every night,” Wettan said. “I think it would be easier if people really felt comfortable with the options. … We are a dense city so, unfortunately, we don’t have endless fields to let people run dogs. Burlingame is not the place for it, we’re just too small.”
Other residents, like Eric Kaufmann, who live near Ray Park, spoke at the meeting to voice complaints around the barking and noises that come with dogs in the park in perpetuity, noting that his wife often has to wear noise-canceling headphones in the house.
“As a direct result of the Ray Park off-leash area, my family and I have lost the peaceful enjoyment of our home. … Our house is located directly behind the off-leash area and is directly affected by dog noise from the fenced in space,” he said. “I called the police 35 times to file noise complaints, the police officer told me ‘this is a dog park, what do you want me to do?’”
By contrast, other residents who use the enclosed dog park space advocated for its opening time, which has been changed to 9 a.m., be lowered back to 8:30 a.m. so residents can get use from the park before work.
Ultimately, the Parks and Recreation Commission found opinions on the issue mixed and were interested in protecting the city from safety and liability concerns regarding off-leash hours. Commissioner Andrea Pappajohn added that Burlingame had a responsibility to protect its investment in the open space area and, though inconvenient at times, dog owners could utilize other off-leash spaces within the city.
“I know the city made a huge investment to improve the fields at Ray Park … and I think that was taxpayer money, I would hate to see it get ruined so quickly for this investment we made to improve the field,” she said. “The city has made very concerned efforts to provide unleashed parks for dogs.”
(3) comments
The discussion about on leash or off leash dog parks is truly preposterous in light of the myriad problems that we should be discussing. Dog owners appear to entitled and don't seem to mind fouling our parks and streets with their dogs' only apparent tangible pungent contribution to our environment. Contrast that with the pleas from Samaritan House, Craig Wiesner's columns and we should realize that dogs and dog parks are such a needless diversion from our real problems. There are families going hungry every day in our neighborhoods, kids are being abused and others are marginalized. And we are discussing whether dogs should or should not run loose in parks and empty their bowels so that our children can step in them? Shame on us!
Because this is always such a polarizing topic I am surprised there is not 100 replies to this news.
Before we try and find a compromise, we should think about possibly there is none. What did us dog owners do 25-50 years ago.
I use to be in charge of prepping fields in San Mateo, downtown's Central Park, known as Fitzgerald Fields baseball Field. At 6am - 7 am, even at dawn solo figures would be walking their dogs off the leash on the outfield grass, while a crew of fathers would be dragging and watering the infield.
More than once I watched as dog owners, gabbing with others and drinking the recently bought Lattes, paid little attention to what their dogs were doing.
Have you experienced a 5th grader sliding to catch a ball and then running into the dugout with his uniform pant leg - caked with feces?
Thank goodness every type of recreational community has good Samaritans that pick up after those that do not - but it remains a very unsolvable issue, if not problem.
In San Carlos, they turned a small outdoor former rest area park into an enclosed off the leash dog park. There were late into the night negotiations with the adjacent apartment building about LOUD barking before the parties to be signed off.
Recently an elderly couple brings their aggressive dog to the San Carlos Dog Park and, when not biting other dogs - barks - like a hunting hound in England. Has anything been done? Nope. Once you let the Genie out of the bottle it stays out.
Before the head of Parks and Recs in San Mateo retired she advocated with and for residents to have various hours at Fitzgerald Field for off the leash activity.
Are those hours adhered to? Prior to us dog owners getting those hours installed, dog owners just did what they wanted to do regardless of what ordinances say.
The fabulous off the leash dog park in San Mateo at Ryder Park along the Bay-Front is not without it's built in issues. Owners of small dogs insist on using the larger dog area - but then get bent out of shape when larger dogs play with their small dogs.
There are cliques everywhere - but recently various ethnicities of a various breed of dog insist on meeting at the larger area and they all have SMALL variety of ball that they throw and their dog(s) fetch. This ball is easily swallowed by a slightly larger dog and it will kill them. Has it been brought to authority’s attention? Yes. Has anything been done? No.
Recent weather has turned 90% of every puddle into urine - water. You don't want to see your vet bill if your dog has to have their stomach pumped with said ingredient. (By the way, dogs will drink almost anything)
Barrett community center in Belmont has signs stating off the leash dog hours or closures. Drive by there on Ralston and Alameda (almost) - Entitle dog owners have their dogs out on the grass at Barrett regardless of what posted signs say.
So as we can all see, every off the leash dog park or quasi off the leash park has their own respective built in flaws and unsolvable to the majority.
Notable people like Bill Laskey have used their own time and money getting fields prepared for Play. Walking ones dog off the leash ON a baseball or softball diamond is equivalent to eating soup with a fork.
There is no FIX that will bring harmony to both sides.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.