Buehler Park Alert
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Your Help Is Needed
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Buehler Park
(the three acre park that set legal precedent)
lies one block East of Exit 184
on the South side of Interstate-44 in Rolla, Missouri
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Don't Let Buehler Park Be Converted Into A Dog-Park
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Click here for latest updates
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January 2017 Update
At the Dec. 19 Rolla City Council meeting, Mayor Lou Magdits announced that the city had purchased five acres adjacent to the two acres that the City already owned on Lions Club Drive between the Rolla Rural Fire Dept. and Hwy 72. Council was asked to consider this land as the location for the new Rolla Animal Shelter that was formerly proposed to be built in Buehler Park.
City Administrator, John Butz, pointed out that although their was room enough for both a dog-park and an animal shelter on this land, Buehler Park was still under consideration as a location for a dog-park.
At its Jan. 3 meeting, the Rolla City Council chose to designate the newly purchased land on Lions Club Drive as the site for Rolla's new animal shelter.
This appears to put an end to the proposal to build an animal shelter in Buehler Park. However, nothing further was said about the location of the proposed Rolla dog-park.
Your activism is making a difference. Please sign the petition.
Your phone calls and emails are helping. Keep them coming.
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October 30, Update
The Rolla Parks Advisory Commission (Park Board) met on Oct. 26. Crystal Watson, representing Royal Canin, and Kent Bagnall, owner of Kent Jewelry, gave a presentation asking that a dog-park be built in Buehler Park.
Tom Sager presented reasons why Buehler Park should not be the site of a Rolla dog-park.
Mayor Louis Magdits said that the city was looking into buying land that could be used for both an animal shelter and a dog-park.
After a brief discussion, the meeting was adjorned without the Commission making a recommendation.
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Converting Buehler Park into a dog park has been on the city of Rolla's hidden agenda since 2007 when they were enjoined by the courts from taking any action inconsistent with Buehler Park's use as a public park. The ink on the injunction was barely dry when city administrator John Butz made his first pitch for converting Buehler Park to a dog park.
Nine years later, the formal proposal comes, not from the city, but through Kent Jewelry and Royal Canin.
Fencing in 1/3 or more of Buehler Park's 3.2 acres for dog runs will ruin the character of the entire park. It will make half of the park unusable for tradition uses. The part they propose to fence in contains at least eight of Buehler Park's huge oak trees that may well be over 150 years old as well as most of the meadow area and two of Buehler Park's favorite pieces of dinosaur play equipment.
There are plenty of other locations for a dog park in Rolla. Right across Kingshighway from Buehler Park is the former Forest Service land which houses the Chamber of Commerce and the Welcome Center. There is plenty of unused land belonging to the city behind the welcome center that could be converted to dog runs.
No action has been taken yet on Kent Bagnall and Crystal Watson's proposal. Citizen input is needed. There is much that you can do to help.
Sign petition to City of Rolla asking that them NOT to build a dog-park in Buehler Park
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Make Phone Calls and/or Send Emails
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Your phone calls and emails are helping. Keep them coming. Please contact the people below. Be respectful. Simply ask that they build their dog park somewhere else besides Buehler Park.
City of Rolla: (573) 426-6948, citycouncil@rollacity.org
Royal Canin USA HQ: (800) 592-6687, info.usa@royalcanin.com
Royal Canin in Rolla: Crystal Watson, (573) 202-9034, crystal.watson@royalcanin.com
Kent Jewelry: Kent Bagnall, (573) 364-1030, kent@kentjewelry.com
You may use this script although it is better to personalize your request:
“Please do not build a dog park in Buehler Park. Let Buehler Park remain a beautiful park for all people to use and enjoy. Instead please consider building a dog park across Kingshighway near the Welcome Center or at some other location in Rolla.”
There is a more complete list of city officials here.
Click here for a page of flyers you can give to family and friends (4 flyers to a page)
The Rolla City Council meets at 6:30pm on the first and third Mondays of each month in council chambers in the basement of city hall on 9th and Elm streets. The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 17 (Monday being Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday). At some point the Rolla City Council will discuss the proposed dog-park. No date has been set yet. I will try to keep you informed.
The Rolla Parks Advisory Commission (Park Board) meets at 5:30pm on the fourth Wednesday of each month. The Rolla dog-park will probably be discussed at the meeting on Jan. 25.
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Run for a seat on the Rolla City Council.
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File at the office of the city clerk on the third floor of city hall at 9th and Elm Streets before 5pm on Tuesday January 17.
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Thank you for your help in saving Buehler Park,
Tom Sager, Secretary/Treasurer/Webmaster/Editor
Citizens for the Preservation of Buehler Park
yushasager (at) yahoo.com
http://buehlerpark.org
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Links to More Information
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Timeline for Dog-Park / Animal-Shelter Proposals
Buehler Park is One of Rolla's Great Treasures
Tom Sager, Oct. 2016
Build Special-Use Parks, Including Dog-Parks, on Unused Park Land
Tom Sager, Sept. 14, 2016
No To Rolla Dog Park: Letter to Editor of the Rolla Daily News
Walter Parkinson, August 15, 2016
Letter to Mayor Magdits Et Al.
Tom Sager, August 10, 2016
August 16, Addendum to Letter
Letter to Editor of the Rolla Daily News
Jerry Cohen, July 30, 2016
Video of Rolla City Council Meeting of July 18:
Bagnall/Watson presentation (25:50-43:38)
Tom Sager's request that Buehler Park be rejected as site for Rolla dog-park (1:22:40-1:38:33)
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