The city of Austin’s dog owners may get a park for their animals if citizens in a southwest neighborhood agree.

Kim Underwood, interim director at the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, updated Austin Mayor Tom Stiehm and Austin City Council members at a work session Tuesday night.

According to Underwood, the dog park location was revised Sept. 3, when the park board met.

The original preferred site in the Northeast Industrial Park would have to have been graded and then seeded to allow the area to be mowed for use.

That would have added another $5,000 cost to the city’s first-ever dog park at that location.

Fence cost estimates were also high: $23,940 for a 4-foot high chain-link fence and $10,986 for a 5-foot high tensile woven wire fence.

The three-acre site was deemed untenable and an alternative site chosen.

The new site at 12th Avenue Southwest and South Main Street was chosen at a reduced acreage: two instead of three acres.

According to Underwood, the park board voted to seek public input in the selected area before proceeding.

Underwood told city officials Monday night, thus far the PRF department has received no feedback — positive or negative — about the possibility of siting the dog park on the south side of 12th Avenue Southwest in the vicinity of St. Mark’s Lutheran Home.

The dog park issue sparked a lengthy discussion among city officials and staff.

First Ward Council Member Brian McAlister said sending letters to residents in the area was a good way to gauge the receptivity to the location of a dog park to exercise animals.

Mayor Stiehm wondered if the residents of St. Mark’s Lutheran Home couldn’t be encouraged to visit the site for relaxation purposes watching the animals put through their paces.

Underwood said the PRF is already talking with the Mower County Humane Society to invite volunteers to use the new dog park as an expanded exercise area for rescued pets.

Second Ward Council Member Richard Pacholl, in a later discussion over capital improvement projects, called for upgrading or replacing the city’s dog pound shelter for captured pets.

During the discussion with Unerwood over prospects for a dog park, Hecimovich warned, “Older residents of the area may not be as tolerant for the dog park as younger residents would be.”

Another future contingency exists also, according to the public works director.

Because of the close proximity of the city’s giant waste water treatment plant, Erichson advised, any expansion plans for the treatment plant would take precedence over the dog park’s existence at the site.

Hecimovich said that should be put into writing to avoid any confusion over the dog park’s existence in the future.

Underwood said the PRF department will collect as much public input as possible before the Oct. 1 meeting of the Park Board and a possible decision to move forward with the 12th Avenue SW project site.

The park board’s decision would be followed by a recommendation to the Austin City Council when they meet Oct. 6.

‘Eyesore’

questioned

Third Ward Council Member John P. Martin asked Underwood about the retention pond created by the PRF department at the intersection of Oakland Place and 11th Street NE.

Jon W. Erichson, director of public works, answered for Underwood and said the city has no plans for beautification of the area along the heavily-traveled entrance-way to the inner city.

The pond is a new collection point for ground water from the Jim’s Super Valu strip mall along 11th Street Northeast.

An old pond, where the new Austin Eagles Club is located, was filled-in.

Pointing out the weeds, tall grass and standing water at the conspicuous corner, Martin said, “What concerns me the most is that this is an eyesore.”

“We’ve got a nice looking Sutton Park across the street and right away when visitors come into the city from Oakland, what do they see, but this eyesore,” Martin said.

According to Erichson, the Jim’s Super Value strip mall project, involving the relocation of flood victim businesses and the Eagles, finished $3,500 under budget.

Erichson said with city officials’ permission, the money could be used to beautify the new collection pond area.

The council members authorized Erichson to proceed with a plan that could involve planting coniferous trees around the pond.

The corner was once considered for a park, then soccer field and finally no development whatsoever beyond the collection point.

When floods occur in the city, flood waters have pushed down East Oakland Place to inundate the area in water.

Public works redevelopment has included a new bridge with antique street lighting a block away at 12th Street NE.

Coming soon is the replacement of a bridge over Dobbins Creek from the East Side Lake dam to a point near the East Oakland Avenue intersection.

Martin pointed out the East Side Lake Park area and boulevard between the four traffic lanes has been beautified and made into a major entrance point to the city.