City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 12/04/12 Item Number: A-1
PRCS COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM: Discussion of a Recommendation to the City
Council toExtend the Pooch Path at Culver West Alexander Park to include the
Walking/Jogging Trail Located within the Park.
Contact Person/Dept.: Dan Hernandez,
PRCS Director
Phone Number: (310) 253-6655
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (Postcard Mailing) Owners, Occupants and Businesses in the Culver
West Neighborhood in the area bordered on the Northby the south side of Washington
Blvd., on the East and Westby the City limits; that is, the east side of Moore St. and the
west side of Neosho St., respectively, and on the Southby a segment of Short Ave. (622
postcards; 11/07/12); (Email) Subscribers of Culver City News and Events, Parks,
Recreation & Community Service Department Updates, Meetings and Agendas – Parks,
Recreation, and Community Services Commission, Senior Citizens (11/21/12 and
11/29/12); (Cable Slide) Channel 35/37 (11/26/12 through 12/04/12); (Posted Notices)
Culver West Alexander Park (11/27/12 through 12/04/12).
Department Approval:Dan Hernandez
(11/27/12).
City Attorney Approval: N/A
Chief Financial Officer Approval: N/A City Manager Approval: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS)
Commissiondiscuss making a recommendation to the City Council to extend the
Pooch Path at Culver West Alexander Park to include the walking/jogging trail
located within the Park and take action on the matter if a need is identified.
BACKGROUND:
At the July 3, 2012 PRCS Commission meeting, Chair Stuart reported being
contacted by a resident about the possibility of extending the Pooch Path at Culver
West Alexander Park to include the walking/jogging trail in order to enable people to
take their dogs with them on the trail. At the September 4, 2012 Commission
meeting, the Commission unanimously approved investigating the feasibility of
extending the Pooch Path and set December 4, 2012 as the meeting date to receive
and review public input on the issue.
In its role as an advisory body on matters pertaining to parks, the PRCS
Commission has previously made recommendations to the City Council on both the
topic of allowing dogs in Culver City parks and on the creation of designated Pooch City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Paths within the parks. At the February 9, 2009 meeting, the following action was
taken by the City Council (moved by Councilmember O’Leary; seconded by Mayor
Malsin; passed 4 – 1; Councilmember Silbiger dissenting):
THAT THE CITY COUNCIL CONTINUE THE EXISTING LAW AND PRACTICES
THAT DO NOT ALLOW DOGS IN PARKS, EXCEPT IN THE CULVER CITY DOG
PARK OR WHERE THERE IS A DESIGNATED DOG PATH, AND AUTHORIZE
STAFF AND PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
COMMISSION TO CONSIDER RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL FOR
DESIGNATED DOG PATHS IN OTHER PARKS WHEN A NEED IS IDENTIFIED,
AS RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMISSION.
For reference, the following is an excerpt of theCulver City Municipal Code relating
to the prohibition of dogs within Culver City Parks:
§ 9.10.055PROHIBITIONS
Within the limits of any public park it shall be unlawful for any person:
A. Having charge, care, custody or control of any dog, except as permitted
by § 9.10.400 or § 9.10.600, or other animal, fowl, or reptile to cause,
permit or allow the same to be within the limits of any public park within
the City, unless such person shall have obtained a special permit from the
City Council to conduct an entertainment or exhibition in which an animal
is a participant.
§ 9.10.400 relates to the Culver City Dog Park within Culver City Park; § 9.10.600
relates to the designated Pooch Paths within Culver West Alexander Park and
Culver City Park. § 9.10.600 is excerpted below:
§ 9.10.600 DESIGNATED DOG PATHS.
A. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Code, a person may have
charge, care, custody or control of any dog upon the designated dog paths in
Culver West Alexander Park and Culver City Park; provided such dog is at all
times restrained by a substantial chain or leash not exceeding six (6) feet in
length, in the control of a competent person.
B. For purposes of this Section, DESIGNATED DOG PATHS shall mean the
pathways in Culver West Alexander Park and Culver City Park that are
identified by conspicuously displayed signs indicating that they are
DESIGNATED DOG PATHS, and where the pathways themselves are
marked with pictures of paw prints. City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
C. Nothing in this Section shall permit or allow any person having charge,
care, custody or control of any dog to permit or allow that dog to be in any
portion of any public park, except as permitted by § 9.10.400, other than on
the designated dog paths in Culver West Alexander Park and Culver City
Park.
DISCUSSION:
As noted in the Public Notification section of this report, extensive public outreach
was done to notice this evening’s discussion; a map detailing the postcard mailing
area is provided as Attachment A. An aerial view of the proposed Pooch Path
Extension at Culver West Alexander Park is provided as Attachment B. All public
comment received by staff by 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 regarding
the issue of extending the Pooch Path at Culver West Alexander Park is provided as
Attachment C. Any public comment on the issue received since that time will be
placed on the dais for the Commissioners and/or be read into the record at this
evening’s meeting.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
Expenses for the public notification for this item were nominal and are typically
considered as regular operating expenses, as follows:
NOTIFICATION METHOD DEPARTMENT(S) EXPENSE
Postcard mailing to owners, occupants
and businesses (622 postcards).
• PRCS Administration
• IT Graphic Services
Staff Time /
$218.00
for mailing
Printed notices posted at the Park. • PRCSAdministration
• PRCS Parks
Staff Time /
Materials
Email notifications, website postings
and a public notification slide on
Channel 35/37.
• PRCS Administration
• City Manager’s Office
Staff Time
Should the PRCS Commission make a recommendation to the City Council that the
Pooch Path at Culver West Alexander Park be extended to include the
walking/jogging trail and if the City Council approves such action, costs will be
incurred for supplies and materials for signage and/or additional trail markings in an
amount estimated not-to-exceed $15,000. There are currently sufficient funds
available in Account Number 42080000.730100.PZ835 (Capital Improvements/
Culver West Alexander Park Rehab) for this expenditure.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Map detailing Public Notification postcard mailing area.
B. Aerial view of the proposed Pooch Path Extension at Culver West Alexander
Park.
C. Public comment regarding the Culver West Alexander Park Pooch Path
Extension received by 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27, 2012.
MOTIONS:
That the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission:
1. Make a recommendation to the City Council to extend the Pooch Path at
Culver West Alexander Park to include the walking/jogging trail located within
the Park;
OR
2. Take no action regarding the issue at this time;
OR
3. Provide staff with alternate suggestions.
MEETING DATE: December 4, 2012
AGENDA ITEM: Discussion of a Recommendation to the City Council to
Extend the Pooch Path at Culver West Alexander Park
to include the Walking/Jogging Trail Located within the
Park.
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
A. Map detailing Public Notification postcard mailing area.
1
B. Aerial view of the proposed Pooch Path Extension at
Culver West Alexander Park.
2
C. Public comment regarding the Culver West Alexander
Park Pooch Path Extension received by 5:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, November 27, 2012.
3 - 4
Public Notification Area Pooch Path Extension Discussion
CULVER CITY, CA 90232
CULVER CITY
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
TEL: 310-253-5976
9770 CULVER BLVD
THE CITY OF
The City of Culver City makes no representation or
warranties of any kind with respect to the accuracy of the
information of claims furnished herein, as the data is a
compilation of records and information obtained from various
sources. The data displayed on this map is for
representational purposes only. It is neither a legally
recorded map nor a survey and is not intended to be used as
such. No part of this map may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying and recording systems except as
expressly permitted in writing by the City of Culver City,
Information Technology Department, Geographic
Information Systems.
© City of Culver City. All Rights Reserved.
DISCLAIMER
MAGNETIC DECLINATION:
DATE:
SCALE:
MAP PROJECTION:
ZONE:
DATUM:
UNITS:
ELLIPSOID:
YEAR:
ANNUAL CHANGE:
AVERAGE ELEVATION:
ELEVATION RANGE:
13 DEGREES 6 MINUTES EAST
9529.9506239286
5 MINUTES WEST
CALIFORNIA STATE PLANE
JULY 10, 2006
V (FIVE)
10/29/2012
FEET
NAD 1983
GRS 80
57 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL
14 TO 419 FEET
Source: Culver West Alexander Park 10/29/2012 Map Created:
D
Location Map
ATTACHMENT A
Page 1Page 2
ATTACHMENT B
Existing Pooch Path
Proposed Extension ATTACHMENT C
Public Comment Regarding
Extending the Culver West Alexander Park Pooch Path
Received by 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Page 3
From: Vivian Chiang
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 6:01 PM
To: Mooney, Patricia
Subject: culver west park changes
Dear Ms. Mooney,
I am writing in regards to the recommendation to the city council to extend the pooch
path at Culver West Alexander Park to include the walking/jogging trail located within
the park. My name is Vivian Nagao, and I am a culver city resident living right next to
Culver West Park. It is in within walking distance, and we take our children there all the
time. I would like to let you know that I am a dog owner, and I have worked as a
veterinarian in the south bay for over 8 years. Prior to veterinary school, I volunteered at
animal rescues, worked at spay/neuter clinics, and worked full-time as a kennel
assistant/veterinary technician. Even now, I dedicate my time and resources to several
dog and cat rescues. There are few things that are more important to me than to
preserve and provide an excellent quality of life for our furry friends.
However, I am also a parent who frequents the park that is being discussed. I have had
to clean up canine feces off of the designated pooch path, in the fields by the jogging
path, and I have had to clean up feline feces from the sandbox. Unfortunately, there are
still many people who are not responsible enough to clean up after their pet. At my
clinic, about 16% of the fecal samples that are actually submitted are positive for
parasites. This includes zoonotic parasites such as giardia, roundworms, and
hookworms. The exposure to our children, who do not always wash their hands before
sticking something into their mouths, would increase. It truly would be safest to not
extend the pooch path at Culver West Park in order to decrease the exposure of our
families to these parasites. Most parks do not allow pets or dogs for this reason. Fecal
matter carries disease, and parks have a lot of traffic. In the same way, this is why there
are leash laws. It is for the safety of our community. I have seen several injuries ranging
from minor to fatal as a result of failure to obey the leash law. I have also seen people
bit and hospitalized due to a failure of the leash law. I realize that several people are
against the leash law as well. But, I promise you that there is merit in that it helps to
keep our community safe.
I hope that I was able to give you some insight in regards to this discussion. It is my
recommendation to not extend the pooch path at Culver West Park. Please contact me
if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Vivian Nagao, DVM
A Culver West Alexander Park Neighborhood Resident
***************** ATTACHMENT C
Public Comment Regarding
Extending the Culver West Alexander Park Pooch Path
Received by 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Page 4
From: Chanon Billington
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 2:53 PM
To: Mooney, Patricia
Subject: Pooch Path Extension at Culver West Alexander Park
Hello, Patricia.
I live next door to Culver West Park and have done so for the past 23 years. While I
think it wonderful for people with their dogs to have a clear signage as to where they
can walk their dog I do not feel it prudent fo the City to spend more money on adding
animal access to the walking/jogging trail. The path is already pitted and marred from all
the bikes that people ride on the path and adding animal waste seems just ripe for
people to stop using the path. Addtionally, since the City has not been keeping lights on
in the park throughout the night the park has gotten increasingly dangerous to walk
through since you cannot see the pits on the access way between McConnel and the
park. I would much rather the City spent the money on keeping a few more lights lit in
the park. It is pitch black out there at night and I feel people's safety should take
precedence over people getting to jog with their dogs at their side. I would appreciate
confirmation or your having received this email. Thanks so much.
Chanon Billington
A Culver West Alexander Park Neighborhood Resident
*****************
From: Sum-Sum Chan
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2012 4:52 PM
To: Mooney, Patricia
Subject: Extend Pooch Path
Hi Patricia,
I would like to voice my support for extending the Pooch Path at the Culver West
Alexander Park. We frequent the park and understand that keeping off the grass allows
for more picnicing, but the dirt path seems like a logical inclusion for dogs. We would
certainly frequent the park even more if we were allowed to walk around the perimeter
with our dog. We currently just walk through the park.
Sincerely,
Sum-Sum Chan
A Culver West Alexander Park Neighborhood Resident