Dogs won't get run of playground - Hillcrest Park possible alternative
by Erin Miller, West Hawaii Today, Friday, January 16, 2009

Kailua Playground won't be converted to a dog park after all. County administration and parks representatives said they couldn't support such a change, though they weren't opposed to community members pursuing the law changes necessary to allow a county off-leash dog area.

"There are a couple of places we are trying to look at," West Hawaii District Superintendent Parks Maintenance Deac deCamp said. "There is some discussion and possibility to provide you with a place to go." He initially did not identify any specific locations, but when meeting attendees brought up possibly using Hillcrest Park, deCamp confirmed that the park is a site he would like to use, at least temporarily, as an on-leash site, until a permanent park could be created. The biggest challenge there, putting aside that county law doesn't allow dogs in county parks, would be working with the Little League teams that practice there, deCamp said. Otherwise, the park doesn't appear to be frequently used, he and area residents said.

Tania Orol, who organized dog owners and is one of the driving forces behind Let Us Run Our Dogs, said she liked the idea of Hillcrest Park being a dog park, though she said she would like a permanent, not temporary, designation. Conversations with South Kona Councilwoman Brenda Ford prompted Orol and others to ask Ford to introduce legislation to the County Council that would permit dogs in county parks at a location to be designated later, the first step in getting a county dog park. Currently, county law prohibits allowing any domesticated animals, leashed or not, in county parks. "In the meantime, we're going to look for land," Orol said.

She was frustrated with the KVBID, which approached her several months ago, talking about converting Kailua Playground into a dog park. Orol got a surveyor to create elevation maps of the site and secured donated designs for a park with areas for small and large dogs. Business improvement district officials then approached her less than a week ago, to talk about looking at another site, this one near Royal Poinciana Drive. "They used us and they know it," Orol said. "They used us to get attention for the project they supported."

Though KVBID members tried to keep the conversation focused on proposed improvements or alternate uses for the park, questions and comments repeatedly returned to the strong desire for a place to allow dogs to play off leash. A majority of the 40 or so people at the meeting, including several who brought dogs despite none being allowed in county parks, remained at the park, even after KVBID representatives left. KVBID representatives previously told West Hawaii Today that they hadn't reviewed the proposed change with Parks and Recreation Department officials because it would have been premature. Though the organization approached Orol, members said in later interviews they weren't necessarily advocating for a dog park, but changes in the playground.

Bobby Command, executive assistant to Mayor Billy Kenoi, suggested dog park supporters continue to look for private property, which would allow them to bypass changing county laws to allow dogs in parks. But, he added, the administration does not oppose community members taking steps for a county dog park, too. "We don't want to see the net loss of any kind of facility," Command said. "The answer is not no. The administration supports all kinds of activities, include dog parks. It's just how to make it work."