Dog park opens in Moanalua
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer
The opening of the city's first dog park in Moanalua yesterday and another to open in three months in Mililani is good news to people who have waited for four years for the city to act on a proposal to open these facilities in each of O'ahu's four park districts.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
But demand for the fenced, off-leash facilities is high, and already a Windward group is mounting a campaign to build the next city dog park in Kailua, on a 10-acre city lot in Oneawa Hills next to Kalaheo High School.
Judy Davis of Aliamanu and her dogs check out the new Bark Park in Moanalua. Gus is a black and tan coon hound and Ripley is a white heeler mix. Another dog park will open in Mililani in three months.
The Windward Dog Park Working Group, formed last month, has begun a petition drive in support of a city budget request for the facility and will present the petition to Mayor Jeremy Harris on Feb. 13, said Shannon Wood, group organizer.
"If it isn't included in the mayor's budget, then we have to go to (City Council member) Barbara Marshall's office," Wood said. "If it is included in the budget, we have to make sure it's kept in."
To help garner city support for its proposal, the group will seek private donations in the hope of cutting costs by as much as 75 percent, said Wood.
The city opened its first dog park yesterday at Moanalua Community Park off Pu'uloa Road. The facility cost about $100,000, with city workers doing most of the work, said city spokeswoman Carol Costa.
The next dog park, in Mililani, also will be done by the city Department of Parks and Recreation and should be completed in 90 days, Costa said.
"The city must install fencing, a water line, water fountain, trees and picnic benches for each dog park," she said. "(The Department of Parks and Recreation) has done the work in-house to keep costs down."
O'ahu also has two private dog parks that are open to the public, — McInerny Dog Park at the Hawaiian Humane Society and the Bark Park on Diamond Head Road.
Four years ago the city was considering building two parks in each of the districts, but now plans call for only one in each area: Leeward, West Honolulu, East Honolulu and Windward. The city hasn't decided on a location for the Windward or East Honolulu dog parks, she said.
• More information: The Web site for the Windward Dog Park Working Group is at www.windwarddogpark.org • Next meeting: 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Windward YMCA, 1200 Kailua Road
Wood said her organization hopes to persuade a private landowner to provide land for parking for the proposed Oneawa Hills site. Plant donations will be sought to build a 25- to 50-foot buffer zone to block noise and protect the privacy of nearby homes.
Petition drive
Veterinarian Rod Pearson said the park is needed and he would love to be able to take his three Labrador retrievers to a place where they can run free, play and socialize with other animals.
A dog park would benefit the dogs' health and allow people to fully enjoy their pets, said Pearson, whose preference is for a bigger park that can be separated into fenced sections for small dogs and big dogs and an area for fetching.
With so many people owning pets and no place to take them, residents are breaking the law to enjoy their animals, he said.
"There's no question dog parks are needed," Pearson said. "Hawai'i is behind the times."
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
