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To the Editor:
I am a 20-year Parkside Estates resi-dent with concerns about the proposed dog park in Carver Park on Park Drive.
Access to this area will be via High-way 5 and Park Drive, one of the most dangerous intersections on Highway 5. There are no eastbound turn lanes and no traffic lights at this site.
When we residents attempt to turn left onto Park Drive from the eastbound lane, drivers behind us illegally pass in the right turn lane. When westbound traffic attempts to turn left onto Kochia, some-times vehicles behind them pass in the right turn lane, setting up a potentially deadly situation.
We residents experience fear each time we approach the intersection of Highway 5 and Park Drive coming from the west to turn left onto Park Drive; we are sitting ducks waiting for a chance to turn, and as we watch in our rearview mirrors, we're saying a silent prayer that the semi, van, or SUV that is barreling down on us from behind doesn't end our lives right then and there.
And Three River Park District wishes to attract more sitting ducks, with their beloved pets sitting beside them?
After having taken my own dog to a dog park in Eden Prairie a couple of times, I saw firsthand the volume of traffic constantly coming and going from that park, especially during evenings and weekends. This volume will increase the danger at Highway 5 and Park Drive and endanger the residents of our neighbor-hood and their children as they walk, bike, trike, stroller, and walk their dogs in a circular path which includes Park Drive.
Having visited the Eden Prairie dog park, I found that most of the grass had been killed by all the dog activity. When the weather was dry, the area was a dust bowl and my puppy had an asthma-like attack. When wet, it was mostly mud. Many dog owners didn't pick up their dog's feces, even though there was a clearly visible sign with that request and a receptacle.
A few weeks ago, in this same dog park, a small dog was attacked by several larger dogs and the owners were unable to control them. I haven't heard how the poor canine victim faired.
Also, who's to know if all the dogs have been vaccinated against rabies? I believe many dog owners mistakenly envision dog parks as Canine Camelots. Not so, and I will never subject my beloved Corgi to another dog park.
Our Parkside neighborhood is serene and secluded, characteristics which are a source of pride to Victoria. Many people have commented to me during the past 20 years that they never even knew our neighborhood existed. We like it this way and wish to keep it so. It's one of the reasons we moved here.
A dog park on Park Drive will attract traffic, people, and curiosity seekers who have no vested interest in or loyalties to our neighborhood. Littering along Park Drive will increase. During my daily walks the past 20 years, I have regularly picked up litter from park visitors and fishermen heading to Lake Zumbra.
Vehicles speeding down the long, inviting stretch of Park Drive will present dangers. And who will be responsible for maintaining Park Drive, which is already showing signs of wear and age?
There is already a small parking lot at the entrance to Carver Park, with no gate, a parking lot which is used at night and even during the day for rendezvous and assignations of various types by teens and adults. They leave behind beer bottles and condoms, among other things.
With the construction of a larger, ungated parking lot, word is going to spread among teens and I fear it's going to attract more undesirable behavior, the discovery of our serene neighborhood, "garage shopping" (where people look for open garage doors and access to whatever is stored in them), and, in general, the total loss of our neighborhood anonymity, serenity, and relative safety.
If someone's vision of a dog park must be realized, why not put it along County Road 11 in Carver Park where there are no neighborhoods to disturb, no residents and their children on the streets, and no dangerous intersection with Highway 5?
Thank you.
Sue Chapman
Victoria, Minnesota
To the Editor:
Thank you, Sue. I am 100% in support of what you wrote. I believe I have the highest property taxes in the Parkside neighborhood, which may be my only distinction. I paid $6,122 today (May 15th), and every six months of course.
Marty Kaye
Victoria, Minnesota
To the Editor:
I'm not sure what the City of Victoria can do in regard to the proposed dog park. I have to admit I am a bit cynical. Al-though Three Rivers Park purports to serve the public good, I do view them as just another absentee corporate landown-er.
Mike Miles
Victoria, Minnesota
To the Editor:
Speaking of liability, I sent another email to Three Rivers Park District reminding them of their lack of traffic study and possible lawsuits if there are injuries or fatalities. I'm not an expert on legal issues, but I reminded them that lawyers cast a wide net during liability investigations and that they're opening themselves up to lawsuits.
Sue Chapman
Victoria, Minnesota
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