Dear Editor:
I am writing you in response to the proposed dog run for Van Vorst Park, outlined in Clifford S. Waldman’s Jersey City Reporter Letter to the Editor of February 16, 2003 and on both fvvp.org and vanvorstpark.org websites.
My family and I are regular users of Van Vorst Park, visiting 4 to 7 days a week in fair weather.
The park is a jewel of Jersey City and a world class park that we are proud of. We have admired and appreciated the work of the Friends of Van Vorst Park, both the design and the maintaining of the gardens. We have used the park before and after having children; using the picnic tables with take out from the bagel shop and Second Street Bakery, strolls, relaxing by the fountain, now the playground and swings.
We are opposed to the creation of a dog run in Van Vorst Park. A dog run is inappropriate for this historic passive park in an historic district. The proposed size of the dog run allocates a disproportionate amount of park space to a small segment of our population. In contrast, the dog run in Washington Square Park, NYC, which is used as an example, appears to take up less than 2.5 percent of that park’s space. There are numerous other recreation needs for adults and children that are equally as important as that of recreational/toilet needs of dogs. This park is too small for this feature.
There is a dog problem in Van Vorst Park. The lawns have been destroyed. Dog are routinely off leash. Dogs’ feces in park have rendered the lawns all but unusable for people. After the recent snow storms, the park was dotted with dog feces that stood out on the snow.
Dogs being permitted on the lawns, dog owners violating the leash, clean up and park curfew ordinances cause the problem. The problem can be improved by creating dog free zones/lawns, enforcement of the ordinances and increasing the fines for violations.
The current proposal for the dog run under consideration gives the impression of being strong armed by dog owners who desire this feature in the park. This is wrong. Creation of dogs run should be considered along with other recreational features needed in Jersey City, not as a means to encourage compliance with local ordinance.
There were surveys in the past conducted by the city that were resounding in favor of dog free parks. This tool should be considered to gauge current public opinion.
The open space in Van Vorst Park is too dear to devote for recreation/ toilet needs of dogs and will adversely impact the park though increased dust and noise. The proposed location of the dog run involves eliminating the picnic area reducing usable park space.
Let’s clean the park up by banning dogs from the lawns, enforcing leash laws and seeking ways to create more open space that could accommodate dog runs.
Daniel Levin