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Home My WebLink About03-02-23 Public Comment - A. Kociolek - PRAT Plan public commentFrom:Angela Kociolek To:Agenda Cc:Mitchell Overton; I-Ho Pomeroy Subject:public comment Date:Thursday, March 2, 2023 9:17:51 AM Attachments:Mar 2 Kociolek comment.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Greetings, Attached is my public comment in response to the Feb 14, 2023 Commission Meeting, specifically the PRAT plan agenda item. Disclosure: I am the Urban Parks and Forestry (UPF) Citizen Advisory Board Chair, however, I am submitting this letter as a private citizen and am speaking only on behalf of myself. Sincerely, Angie Kociolek CC: UPF Staff Liaison UPF Commission Liaison 1 March 2, 2023 Dear Bozeman City Commissioners, During your February 14, 2023 meeting, there was a robust Q&A and comment discussion about the Parks, Recreation and Active Transportation (PRAT) plan. I thank you all for your participation in the creation of this important guiding document. After viewing the PRAT portion of the meeting twice, I feel compelled to share some information and reflections. While some information was obtained in my capacity as the Urban Parks and Forestry Citizen Advisory Board Chair, I am submitting this letter as a private citizen and am speaking only on behalf of myself. It is my hope that this letter clarifies for commissioners and the public some questions posed by the Deputy Mayor during the meeting. I also offer some general reflections for your consideration. Deputy Mayor Cunningham framed the dog portion of his questions and comments with the tenuous concept of “who uses parks the most.” There seemed to be some concern that dogs/dog owners are somehow not being addressed or served by the Bozeman Parks Department or the plan. I took the (PRAT) survey as a member of the public. (I was not part of the statistically valid survey population.) Survey methods, results, and more are publicly available at engage.bozeman.net/pratplan. Scroll down to Resources on the right sidebar to find the 2022 Bozeman Parks and Recreation Survey Findings Report. There you will see that dog amenities were indeed included in the (PRAT) survey. Deputy Mayor Cunningham continued with his “impression that there are more dogs than there are children under 18” in Bozeman. When I requested them, city staff related these facts: Year Number of dog licenses issued in the City of Bozeman 2018 2,416 2019 2,783 2020 2,423 2021 2,417 2022 2,177 Recent five-year average number of dog licenses issued in the City of Bozeman: ~2,443. According to census.gov, children under 18 account for 14% of the July 2021 Bozeman population estimate of 54,539, or 7,635. There are more than three times as many children as there are licensed dogs on record in the City of Bozeman. 2 Deputy Mayor Cunningham also stated that 60-75% of users of Peet’s Hill are dog walkers. First, no data source was cited for this figure. Second, Peet’s Hill was turned into an off-leash dog park so it would be easily understood why so many people walk their dogs there. Third, one only needs to read about the conflicts on nextdoor.com or Facebook to better understand why many people (including dog owners) sadly avoid Peet’s Hill. By making Peet’s Hill an off-leash park, the City effectively prioritized dog walkers over other users and also put the native vegetation at risk. Peet’s Hill, in my opinion, is the crown jewel of our park system and is a sacred place to many. I hope we can learn from this case study that future off-leash parks should not limit the enjoyment of other park users or damage the natural resources to the extent that they have on Peet’s Hill. Deputy Mayor Cunningham expressed concern that not a single dog photo is in the Draft PRAT plan. Images of dogs can be found on pages 21, 55, and the Design Manual pages titled ‘Typical Assets and Design Considerations.’ (Note: I’ve relayed my concern that the two really cute graphics that illustrate dogs unleashed at a pond should be removed or made to look like an enclosed off-leash dog park. Currently these images break our own City ordinances at Glen Lake, for example.) https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/1778063/PRAT-Plan.pdf (From engage.bozeman.net/pratplan). Deputy Mayor Cunningham questioned whether we should be penalizing dog owners by not giving them more resources, estimating that repurposing a single park to add dog park fencing would cost $40-50K, and that it was “not a big deal” and “may involve additional funding.” As a taxpayer, it is my expectation that any budget allocation would be based on need, equity, staff recommendation, and be presented within the context of a full budget. Physically (rather than temporally) separating off-leash dogs is a favored approach because without a change in culture or an increase in enforcement, to further enable people to allow their dogs to run off leash in parks only at certain times of day could be very hard to manage. I live across the street from Centennial Park and can testify that everyday there are off-leash dogs outside of the stated off-leash hours. Deputy Mayor Cunningham questioned whether we should criminalize people who recreate with dogs off leash in their neighborhoods. See Chapter 8, Article 2 of City’s Code pertaining to leashing dogs everywhere except where permitted. The word “criminalize” in this context is off putting to me. The way I see it, ordinances exist for a reason. People and organizations should follow the rules and, if they do not, they are taking a risk of being warned, cited and/or fined. Ultimately, the citizens of, and visitors to, Bozeman have the right to safety and the feeling of being safe when in public places, including sidewalks and parks. Not everyone feels safe around unfamiliar dogs. I would hope the City’s stance on equity and inclusion extends to people who may suffer from trauma, 3 anxiety, or simple preference as it pertains to dogs coming into a person’s personal space. Even though I am an animal lover myself, I like to get to know an animal on my own terms. I don’t believe it is anyone’s intention to “criminalize” anyone. If anything, I often hear our Animal Control department is understaffed and dog owners often get away with not following the leash law. I do believe, however, that it is not in the best interest of the City to reward those who do not follow the rules with more amenities, or by looking the other way. More needs to be done to curb what I see as a culture of entitlement that has evolved in Bozeman as it pertains to dog ownership (and outdoor cat ownership, for that matter). I hope the data and links I’ve shared offer some clarity to the Deputy Mayor, other commissioners, and the public that dogs/dog owners have indeed been addressed in the survey and resulting Draft PRAT plan. I understand that Deputy Mayor Cunningham is well known for his love of dogs, and that he also wears the hat of Executive Director for an organization that “advocates for, funds and constructs additional off-leash recreation facilities in the Bozeman area – and promotes responsible dog ownership practices.” Mr. Cunningham and I have had candid conversations about Bozeman’s dog issues in the past. He heard my request for more leash enforcement to/from off-leash dog parks within larger parks, as in the Regional Park. In the absence of increased animal control enforcement, I believe dog enthusiasts themselves can do much more, including volunteer, to build a culture of care around responsible dog ownership and respectful use of shared park resources. Other than kiosks with poop bags and leashes, and the Hike Kind campaign that promotes trail kindness in general, I am not aware of any active or formal program to foster responsible dog owner etiquette in Bozeman. In addition to Austin, TX’s B.A.R.K. program described on page 55 in the Draft PRAT plan, the Town of Weston, MA recruits citizens to be part of the solution through its Volunteer Bark Ranger program “to assist the Conservation and Animal Control departments in spreading awareness of the Town’s rules and regulations for dogs and dog owners.” https://www.weston.org/1346/Bark-Rangers Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I’ll conclude with the belief that we are all doing our best and that sometimes sharing our passions can be misconstrued. That said, I believe it is in the best interest of the City for officials to support statements with data, when available. I also believe it is especially important to be mindful when the lines blur between personal preference and one’s duty for public representation of diverse needs and desires of a community as a whole. Sincerely, Angie Kociolek 620 N. Tracy Ave. Bozeman, MT 59715