OUTCOME OF DOG EXERCISE AREA TRIAL AT CIVIC AVENUE RESERVE, KOGARAH

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1 Council Meeting General Report Meeting Date: 05/20/2015 Meeting Date 05/20/2015 Back Print Public Item Number: Subject: File Number: Report by: Community Engagement: Financial Implications: ORD10 OUTCOME OF DOG EXERCISE AREA TRIAL AT CIVIC AVENUE RESERVE, KOGARAH SF14/444 Executive Officer (Bobbi Mayne) Yes Yes Precis This report informs Council on the outcome of the trial of a dog exercise area at Civic Avenue Reserve, Kogarah Council Resolution NOTE: Councillor Mickovski was absent for the voting on this item. RESOLVED on the motion of Councillors Hanna and Macdonald That Council: 1 Notes the results of the trial of a dog exercise area at Civic Avenue Reserve, Kogarah. 2 Approves the dog exercise area at Civic Avenue Reserve, Kogarah to remain a permanent location with the following improvements: a installation of a water station; b installation of a dog bag dispenser supported by an education campaign for users to pick up after their dog; c levelling of site where required to minimise the impact of flooding during periods of heavy rain. 3 Notes the continuation of regular patrols by the Rangers of the dog exercise area to ensure compliance with the Companion Animals Act DIVISION DIVISION on the MOTION called for by Councillors Kalligas and Saravinovski FOR THE MOTION Councillors Macdonald, Bezic, P Sedrak, Awada, Barlow, Ibrahim, Hanna, Tsounis and Poulos AGAINST THE MOTION Councillors L Sedrak (abstention), Saravinovski, Kalligas and Nagi The MOTION was ADOPTED 9 votes to 4. Officer Recommendation That Council; 1) Notes the results of the trial of a dog exercise area at Civic Avenue Reserve, Kogarah 2) Approves the dog exercise area at Civic Avenue Reserve, Kogarah to remain a permanent location with the following improvements; a) installation of a water station b) installation dog bag dispenser supported by an education campaign for users to pick up after their dog c) levelling of site where required to minimise the impact of flooding during periods of heavy rain 3) Notes the continuation of regular patrols by the Rangers of the dog exercise area to ensure compliance with the Companion Animals Act 1998 Report Background a a08.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/rbp+suite/cbpapers.nsf/vwallbyunid/760fb ba1dca257e ac?opendocument 1/6

2 5/25/2015 Business Paper authored by Executive Officer (Bobbi Mayne) on 04/29/2015 On 2 October 2013, as part of the dog exercise review across Rockdale's Local Government Area (LGA), the Council approved the following the establishment a dog exercise area at Civic Avenue, Kogarah 12mth trial of the dog exercise area once established at the completion of the 12 month trial the final status of Civic Avenue as a dog exercise area should be determined by Council vote. The establishment of a dog exercise area was completed in April 2014 and included fencing, double entry gates, 2 x bench seats, bin, signage, trees and shrubbery to help screen the fence from the street. The community was notified of Council's decision to establish and trial the dog exercise area through letter box drops to neighbouring residents, signage placed at Civic Avenue reserve and information placed in the Rockdale review and Council's website. a a08.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/rbp+suite/cbpapers.nsf/vwallbyunid/760fb ba1dca257e ac?opendocument 2/6

3 During construction of the dog exercise area some neighbouring residents raised concerned and opposed the project going ahead. Note: no formal opposition was received during the dog exercise area review period and/or prior to Council's decision being made to trial an dog exercise area at Civic Avenue reserve. Staff had several conversations with the concerned residents on the phone and as well as meeting them on site. Concerns raised included the risk of dogs not being contained within the dog exercise area, disturbing noises occurring from dog activity and the new infrastructure impacting on the residents enjoyable open space vista from their properties located across the road. Staff agreed to set the fence line further into the park, plant shrubbery to screen the fence line from the road and for Rangers to conduct regular patrols of the site. The trial period for the dog exercise area expired in April During the trial residents and park users were invited to provide feedback about the dog exercise area via on line surveys; one tailored to neighbouring residents and one tailored to users. Written correspondence was also received and has been included in the assessment. Community feedback was promoted via; a sign placed at the entrance to the dog exercise area information placed in the Rockdale Review when the trial commenced and again during March 2015 Council website previous on line community members who had previously completed a survey regarding the review of dog exercise areas SURVEY RESULTS Participant Profile: 8 Surveys were received from neighbouring residents and 49 received from users. Of the total 57 surveyed participants the majority were Australian born females between age bracket with English as their first language residing in single dwellings. Most of the survey participants were from within the Rockdale Local Government Area. The highest proportion of participants were from Kogarah (10) then Rockdale (9) and outside of the LGA (8) with the rest fairly evenly scattered across the Rockdale LGA. Of the 8 neighbouring residents surveyed, 4 lived within 1 4 minutes walk, 1 within 5 10 minutes walk and 3 greater than 10 minutes walk. Whilst of the 49 users surveyed, 68% travelled to the dog exercise area by car, 14% walking greater than 10mins, 10% within 5 10min walk and 8% less than 5min walk. Of the users responses, The largest proportion of users surveyed visited the dog exercise area 1 5 times (43%) in the month with one dog (78%) accompanied by an adult (42%) and staying for an hour (63%). Notably; 34% users also attended alone and 19% attended with a child/children younger than 11 years old. 27% attended the area more than 15 times in the last month and 22% 6 10 times. Only 1 of the users surveyed operated a dog related business. Impact on Neighbouring Residents 63% of the 49 neighbouring residents surveyed said they had been impacted upon by the establishment of the dog exercise area. Of the 63% that said they were impacted upon, 50% said they were less impacted upon and 50% said they were more impacted upon. a a08.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/rbp+suite/cbpapers.nsf/vwallbyunid/760fb ba1dca257e ac?opendocument 3/6

4 User Satisfaction Of the 49 users surveyed; A combined 65% were satisfied or above and 35% were not at all satisfied with the dog exercise area. Feedback Analysis Responses from participants can be summarised into four main types; 1. Participants satisfied with the Park with no changes required 2. Participants satisfied with the Park with improvements required 3. Participants who are not satisfied with the park as it impacts on them ( do not want it at Civic Avenue at all) 4. Participants who support dog parks but are not satisfied with this dog park as it does not meet their expectations and/or dogs needs 5. The majority of participants surveyed fit within category 2; Satisfied with the Park with improvements required Reasons that participants were satisfied with the park and/or less impacted on by the park include; 1. Convenient location, near my home 2. Safe open area for my dog/s to run around. 3. Not over crowded like other popular dog parks 4. Fenced for safety 5. The size and Infrastructure makes it a great dog friendly space 6. Enjoy watching dogs play in the park 7. 'For me and my dog it has been a great addition to the area but it has some faults that need to be fixed but a great step forward into a dog friendly area'. 8. Great that Council is opening up more dog parks. 'Fabulous initiative', 9. 'Its a wonderful Council project that enhances the Community. Thank you for developing a well considered and well implemented community asset '. 10. 'Love it. hope it becomes permanent' 11. ' I think council has designed civic ave extremely well and I am impressed with the work that has been done' 12. 'I find it is safe place for my son and dog to play'. 13. 'I think there is very little negative impact on neighbours as the park is situated away from the road. My experience when speaking to my neighbours is a a08.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/rbp+suite/cbpapers.nsf/vwallbyunid/760fb ba1dca257e ac?opendocument 4/6

5 that the park is seen in a positive light'. Reasons participants opposed, were not satisfied with and/or were negatively impacted upon by the park included; 1. Civic Avenue trial dog exercise area has not been well utilised and is a waste of Council's / Rate payers money 2. The area floods and you cant use it for a couple of weeks 3. Does not have all the facilities to meet the needs of my dog eg shade, water, lighting, not big enough 4. Dogs are not complying and are off the leash outside the fenced area 5. 'Size of area is good for socialising dogs but not for exercising them. I travel to other places where I can walk my dog off a leash for an hour'. 6. Dog walkers bringing more then four dogs limiting access to other dog owners 7. Its a good space but uninteresting due to layout 8. 'Civic Avenue Reserve Dog Exercise Area is an extreme eyesore and an insult to the environment of Rate Payers of Rockdale City Council and some people using the Dog Exercise Area are abusing it' 9. Why couldn't the length of Scarborough park near Colson crescent be reinstated as a dog exercise area? 10. Why cant there be access to a beach location? Improvements suggested; The 5 main improvements participants requested were; 1. Access to water 2. Shade 3. Accessible disposable bags supported by education to encourage users to pick up after their dog 4. Site levelling to prevent flooding during periods of heavy rain 5. Dog play/agility equipment Other improvements included; 1. Expanding the area Lighting Coffee shop Recommendation The location supports the dog exercise area as it away from the road, does not conflict with any other activities and does not adjoin any residential property. The dog exercise area has been well received by the majority of survey participants as stated in this report. It is therefore recommended that the dog exercise area at Civic Avenue Reserve, remains in place as a permanent fixture and, includes the following improvements. 1. Installation of a water station similar to Frys Reserve dog exercise area. 2. Install a bag dispenser and provide biodegradable bags similar to what is provided in Botany and Randwick's dog exercise areas. This will be supported with an educational campaign for owners to clean up after their dog. 3. Assess and level areas where feasible to reduce the impact of flooding during heavy periods of rain. 4. Rangers will continue to patrol the dog exercise area and address any non compliance issues. Residents and users will be encouraged to report any incidences of non compliance to Council for action. In relation to the other improvements suggested from the surveys completed; 1. Due to site restrictions and the impact on residents and the environment, it is not feasible to install lighting or a coffee shop 2. The site is a sufficient size to meet most dogs needs and will not be expanded 3. Dog play / agility equipment is available for use at the dog exercise area at Frys Reserve. The main purpose of Civic Avenue is to provide open uninterrupted space for dogs to safely run within a controlled environment. No agility equipment will be installed at this stage. 4. Shade. Juvenile trees have been planted and once matured will provide some shade. As per survey results most participants only attend the site for an hour. It is recommended that sun safe guidelines are promoted and applied by users including exercising dogs out of peak sun periods and for owners to wear hats and sunscreen. Note: there are large established trees nearby where dogs on leads can rest with their owners. Financial Implications The improvements indicated in this report will be funded from existing Section 94 Funds and/or within existing operational budgets. Community Engagement In 2013 Neighbouring residents and the community in general were notified and feedback invited on the review of Dog Exercise Areas including the proposed Civic Avenue Reserve Site. Council approved the establishment and trial of Civic Avenue in October Construction of the dog exercise park was completed in April Neighbouring residents and community were notified of Council's decision to trial the dog exercise area and were encouraged throughout the trial period to provide feedback as described earlier in this report. The community feedback period closed on 28 April Results of the surveys has been discussed earlier in this report. Feedback from Park Maintenance Staff and Rangers was also received. Park Maintenance staff advised that the dog exercise area operated well and there were no issues or challenges with regard to maintenance. However, it was noted that access for maintenance was limited during periods of heavy rain. Rangers advised that regularly patrols were conducted and that most users were compliant. A few verbal warnings were given to dog owners that were observed with their dog off the leash outside of the dog exercise area. a a08.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/rbp+suite/cbpapers.nsf/vwallbyunid/760fb ba1dca257e ac?opendocument 5/6

6 A couple of participants completed the survey with reference to Colson Crescent which was the dog exercise area nearby that has ceased operating in accordance with Council's resolution following the dog exercise review. This was the site located near a playground and adjoined neighbouring residents. The feedback requested improving the poor condition of the children's playground. This matter has been referred to the City Infrastructure and City Operations Service Teams to assess and determine appropriate course of action. Rockdale City Plan Outcome: Objective: Strategy: Delivery Program: Operational Plan: Outcome 1 Rockdale is a welcoming and creative City with active, healthy and safe communities. Objective 1.4 Our City has quality and accessible services, and community and recreational facilities Provide parks, reserves and recreation areas which reflect the qualities of the City s social and environmental needs B Ensure that the use of all parks, reserves and recreational areas are guided by Plans of Management which reflect the City s social and environmental needs. (DCO) B.3 Review trial of dog exercise areas across Rockdale City (GM) Additional Comments: a a08.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/rbp+suite/cbpapers.nsf/vwallbyunid/760fb ba1dca257e ac?opendocument 6/6