HOLMES BEACH – Little visible movement has been made on the city’s plans to relocated and improve the dog park, and it’s leaving users feeling frustrated.
During the May 1 Holmes Beach Parks and Beautification Committee meeting, City Engineer Lynn Burnett was expected to uphold a commitment made during her second quarter capital improvement projects update to city commissioners, that she would present resurfacing, grading and drainage plans at the committee’s May meeting. Several dog park users showed up to hear about Burnett’s plans for the park, but Burnett herself was a no-show and her associate, Eron Wasserman, said that he had no plans for the dog park to present.
Resident and dog park advocate Renee Ferguson said that she, along with other park users, felt frustrated after helping to develop a plan for the park, being put on hold due to the renovation of the city field complex and then seeing no action being taken on the dog park while plans are in action for the skate park and other facilities.
“We seem to be put at the end of the agenda rather than the beginning of the agenda,” she said, adding that the dog park is one of, if not the most utilized park in the city.
Park user Terry Green said that he has several concerns about previously presented plans for the park, including parking, access to entrances from parking areas and whether or not the existing dog park pavilions will be saved and reused in the new location.
Parks and beautification committee Chair Zan Fuller said that she understands the frustration felt by park users. She said that committee members hadn’t seen updated or detailed plans for the new park facilities either and agreed to attempt to set up a meeting between the interested parties and Burnett for the week of May 8. A meeting was held May 7 after press time for The Sun.
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