Dog-park site chosen at Mililani
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer
In response to community requests for a dog park in Mililani, the city will build a temporary off-leash park adjacent to Mililani Mauka District Park.
The Mililani Mauka/Launani Valley Neighborhood Board unanimously supported the move to build a temporary park in a vacant area next to the park originally set aside for a childcare facility on Ukuwai Street.
"This has been an ongoing battle," said board chairwoman Jeanette Nekota. "This is a good place."
Last year the city had appropriated $180,000 for an off-leash community dog park, shade trees, irrigation system and other park improvements as requested by the Mililani Vision Team.
But many residents who live near Kamaio Neighborhood Park, the initially proposed location for the dog park, voiced concerns about the potential noise and smell the park would bring to their neighborhood.
While the majority of residents supported the need for a dog park in Mililani, it was agreed at a community meeting in February 2002 that Kamaio, or Red Ropes Park, was not the right place. And the search for a permanent site continues.
Until then the city will begin planning and building the temporary dog park, expected to open sometime this year, said Craig Maeda, administrator for parks, maintenance and recreation services for the Department of Parks & Recreation.
The city will put up a chain-link fence around the 20,000-square-foot grassy area, Maeda said. The only amenities will be a double-lock gate and an irrigation system. The Department of Parks & Recreation will pay to set up and maintain the park, though Maeda did not know how much that will be.
The park will remain at the temporary location until a daycare center is built on the land, Maeda said.
Rules and regulations for the dog park will be the same as those enforced at O'ahu's two other parks, McInerny Dog Park at the Hawaiian Humane Society and the Bark Park on Diamond Head Road.
Owners will be responsible for picking up after their pets. Dogs are required to be vaccinated, parasite-free and healthy before entering the grounds. Owners are urged to watch their pets closely, making sure they don't exhibit signs of aggression that can endanger other dogs or parkgoers.
"Most people who go to dog parks are really good about their dogs," Nekota said in response to residents' concerns about the self-patrolling policy at the park. "The other dog parks are working well. And the dogs are happy, too."
Because the city can't afford to staff the temporary park in Mililani, it is asking frequent users to close the park at night.
The park will be open from dawn to dusk, or about 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., every day.
Joyce Wiese, who lives in the nearby Olaloa Retirement Community, is excited about the new park just blocks away.
"It's a wonderful idea," said the 79-year-old retired high school teacher and owner of Lani, an 11-pound Maltese. "Dogs, especially larger ones, need a chance to exercise."
Lily Canas, 87, board member at the Olaloa Retirement Community, said a number of the 500 residents there are dog owners. She hasn't heard anything negative about plans for the temporary park.
"People are looking forward to it," she said. "Many of the dog owners here would like to have it. It gives the dogs more freedom. And it gives the dog owners some good exercise, too."
Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.
