By SHAIN HAUG
Off-leash dog park
Under the leadership of Gerhard Oertelt, Greg Allsup, and Jay Wilson, our efforts to establish a much-needed off-leash dog park in the Navajo area are on the move. We have found our way into the city bureaucracy and now have a high-level contact point in the Parks and Recreation Department. Oertelt has developed a core group of 40 or so folks to take on the complex administrative steps that are necessary to complete this project. This grass roots movement has been named “Beyond Leashes.”
At the beginning of the project, the Allied Gardens Granville Community Council (AGGCC) is filling the role of the nonprofit sponsor required by city policy. That sponsorship will include outreach to the residents of our Navajo communities, coordination with the community councils of San Carlos and Del Cerro, presentations to the Allied Gardens and San Carlos Recreation councils, hearings before the Parks and Recreation Council, and management of initial finances. After the permit is issued, when several technical matters are resolved, and once we can be sure that the park will be established, management will shift to a new nonprofit organization with the Beyond Leashes name.
The organizers considered three locations. The portion of the Allied Gardens Park between the Benjamin Library and the pool did not meet the 3-acre minimum and must be preserved for the eventual expansion of the library. Two parcels on Pasatiempo Avenue were rejected because of ecological restrictions and proximity to residences. The best area is the upper area of the Rancho Mission Canyon Park (better known as Margerum Park). A portion of the park that has fallen into disuse and that is most ecologically available.
In the next few weeks, we will create a website where you will find more information. At that site, you will be able to add your name to the growing list of dog owners and financial contributors. Until we get that site running, let us add you to this communal effort by sending us an email at aggccshain@yahoo.com or at beyondleashes@gmail.com.
Town Hall Meeting
Looking ahead to our next Town Hall Meeting at the Benjamin Library (Zion Avenue and Glenroy Street) at 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday, July 23, we will be hearing from The San Diego Humane Society. As successor to the San Diego County Animal Control, the Humane Society took over animal control in the city. A representative of the society will discuss their services and how to contact them for assistance.
Our Town Hall Meeting on July 23 will also feature a new feature. We will hold a drawing for a $50 gift card for Mona’s Restaurant. No financial contribution will be required to qualify for the drawing, the only condition will be your attendance at the meeting. Our thanks to board of directors member Chuck Cadwalader, branch manager of the HomeStreet Bank, and the bank for their generosity.
Zephyr Project
On July 2, the Ascension Lutheran Church congregation and the community, represented by Philip Kuey, presented the Zephyr housing project for military veterans with a flag set consisting of the United States flag and flags of each of the military services. This gift from the community was offered to our new neighbors in honor of their service and as a token of how welcome they are. At the meeting, our librarian Kathryn Johnson told the residents that library cards would be issued without charge.
Board of directors meetings
The AGGCC board of directors meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Benjamin Library, at the corner of Zion Avenue and Glenroy Street. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, Sept. 3 (we are dark in August). The public is welcome.
— Shain Haug is president of the Allied Gardens Grantville Community Council. Reach him at aggccshain@yahoo.com.
