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SATURDAY December 6, 2003 - Subscribe - Contact Us Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels November 25, 2003 Lights plan snuffed out for dog park By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings After making a quick and seemless decision to hire a new director Monday night, the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission stepped into controversy just moments later. Commissioners grappled with a request from Ashland Dog Park users to light the popular canine playground - and eventually decided against the move. Dog park users handed in 169 petition signatures from people asking for lights to be installed and kept on until 8 p.m. "An awful lot of people at the dog park find it hard to get out during the winter months when it gets dark so early," said resident Ed Perkins. "An awful lot of people depend on the dog park to exercise their pets because they can't do it in many places." Resident Jon Reinhardt said lighting the park would benefit people as well as dogs. "Lance Armstrong wrote a book, 'It's Not About the Bike.' It's not just about the dog park. It's about the people that you meet down there and the friends that you make," Reinhardt said. But commissioners were unwilling to light the park, citing concerns that doing so would disrupt the growth of photoperiodic plants at the nearby Ashland Greenhouses, would necessitate the installation of lights along the narrow road leading to the park as well and would conflict with a mission statement that the park is for dawn-to-dusk use. "They need to convince the commission that it's a good idea to change," Commissioner Mike Gardiner said. "We have made great strides bringing the park up to standards. Maybe at some time in the future, lighting would be appropriate." A dusty, weed-infested field just a few years ago, the dog park now has a lawn, shelter, double gates for securely entering and exiting with dogs, and other facilities. Dog park patrons have raised thousands of dollars to fund the improvements, and had offered to pay for the installation of low lights with louvers designed to direct light on the park. They were clearly disappointed at the commission's decision not to install lights. "Pegging your opposition on the basis of a mission statement makes no sense at all," Perkins said. "A mission statement can be easily amended. Don't use that as an excuse not to do anything. I did not hear one rational reason for not doing this." In other business, the commission: o unanimously approved hiring its new director, Don Robertson. Robertson, who currently is the manager for Gresham Parks and Recreation, will take his new post after the first of the year (see related story); o approved a Babe Ruth Baseball request to use North Mountain Park athletic fields for a March baseball camp for youths ages 11 through 18; o agreed to allow parks employees to set aside pre-tax earnings for medical savings accounts; and o approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Ashland School District concerning the allocation of Youth Activities Levy funds. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Road Cams