East-metro debate: Do fences make for good ... dog parks?

The question of how much room Rover needs to romp around without a leash has kicked up a conflict in the Twin Cities' east metro.

Ramsey County, which operates Battle Creek Regional Park in Maplewood, has plans to double the size of the off-leash dog area there and fence it in.

But a group of folks who frequent the park, the Friends of the Battle Creek Off-Leash Dog Area, say that a fence is unnecessary and that the space it would enclose is, well, the wrong area.

After several months of going back and forth, park users and county officials will meet Tuesday night to discuss the issue and try to find a compromise.

Greg Mack, Ramsey County parks and recreation director, said his department has received some complaints from people who say dogs are overstepping the off-leash boundary, currently marked by fiberglass signs. More people from around the region are using the dog area, an estimated 600 per week, and that has pushed the pooches into other parts of the park.

"We do think it's a legitimate recreational activity, we're not disputing that," Mack said. The county's plan is to expand the area from 13 to 25 acres.

"These are fragile natural resources that can't sustain high-use traffic," Mack said. Part of the reason for doubling the area's size is to allow parts of the land to rest.

Her group says the fence, which the county says would cost about $29,000, would be a waste of taxpayer money.

The group's members are also miffed that they weren't consulted earlier about the county's plans. The expanded area would include a field, but the group wants it instead to include a cross-country ski path that allows access to two ponds. The county has opposed encroaching on space used for other recreational activities.

Although Moylan and her group acknowledge that the boundary hasn't been honored, they take issue with the number and severity of complaints cited by the county.

The county's presence at the off-leash area has been nonexistent, Moylan said, and requests to repair fallen signs or refill wood chips have gone unfulfilled.

Mack disagreed.

Demand greater than supply

Ramsey County has four off-leash dog areas, and Battle Creek in particular has been a draw for Washington County residents and others in the east metro. Mack said that the county has been a leader in providing off-leash space, and that surrounding communities and counties haven't kept up with a clearly growing demand.

Hennepin and Dakota counties have dog parks. The cities of Bloomington, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Edina and Minneapolis, among others, also offer them. Nearly one-third of Twin Cities metro-area residents own dogs.

John Elholm, Washington County parks director, said the focus at county parks is on natural resources and activities that relate to them, such as camping, hiking and fishing.

"We look to communities to offer more locally oriented and active facilities like ball fields, off-leash dog areas," he said.

There has been a community push for more dog parks in St. Paul, and three locations are currently being discussed, said Brad Meyer, city parks and recreation spokesman. A citizen task force is looking into the options.

"There needs to be good distribution throughout the area. There can't be one place serving all," Mack said.

The meeting to discuss the Battle Creek dog park is from 6:45 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Battle Creek Recreation Center, 79 S. Winthrop St., in St. Paul.