Hancock Street Park, located on East Hancock Street across from Oakland Avenue and between Pennbrook Avenue and Maple Street on the border with Upper Gwynedd Township, is being eyed by the Lansdale Borough Parks and Recreation Committee as the favorite spot to start a dog park, according to a recent The Reporter article.
On Dec. 1, the parks committee – comprised of committee chair Mary Fuller, and councilors Bill Henning and Meg Currie Teoh – discussed its results in visits to four borough parks that have the potential to be a new dog park. The three other parks under consideration are Whites Road Park (by the tennis courts), Hidden Valley Park, and Wedgewood Park. The dog park idea will be discussed again in February 2022.
According to the report, Henning said Hancock Street Park was the most viable space-wise and parking-wise. Teoh said the site was attractive and dog-suitable already, plus there was not a lot of activity at that park.
Fuller agreed with Teoh, according to the report, and said the next steps are totaling costs and surveying borough sentiment.
“On Hancock, there’s a lot of heavy brush that needs to be cleared, which is a big expense. You’re talking $30,000 to $50,000 … One thing we don’t want to do is build something that’s going to look like an eyesore. So, definitely a lot to be learned before we even decide if this is viable,” Henning said at the meeting.
Parks and Recreation Director Karl Lukens will secure fencing and brush-clearing costs prior to a public survey.
As far as the three other parks, Hidden Valley Park is off the table. In November, neighbors near the park expressed concerns about the entrance/exit to the park via a one-way driveway from East Main Street. Hidden Valley Park is hidden behind Wissahickon Park Apartments, and bounded by Norway Drive, Greenwood Road, Hillside Drive and Valleybrook Drive.
Council did not like the park because of its seclusion and potential public safety issues, per the report. Neighbors wrote to council citing concerns of wildlife displacement and flooding.
Wedgewood Park has also been ruled out by the committee, due to seclusion and limited space. Councilors worried a dog park would use up space where children play and gather for skateboarding. Fuller said users may have a hard time finding the park “which would translate into, ‘nobody would use it.’ So why go through the effort?”
The spot for a dog park at the upper parts of Whites Road would affect the no-mow area, which aids in reducing runoff from the park to neighboring homes, according to the article. Furthermore, councilors were concerned a new bathroom facility at the park, a new playground, new streambank restoration and popular outdoor concerts and events would make it too busy for a dog park, per the article.
Read more on the dog park at this link and read what Hidden Valley Park neighbors thought about the park here.
See also:
Lansdale Borough Council to Vote on Proposed Tax Increase Next Week to Close 2022 Budget Shortfall
Lansdale’s $550,000 Budget Deficit Could Mean Tax Increase, Deferment of Capital Projects in 2022
Mainland Pointe Mixed-Use Development Gets Final OK from Lower Salford Township
Lansdale Public Works Committee Prepping for Additional Merck Sewage Flow Beginning Next Year
