Buehler Park

 
Citizens for the Preservation of
Buehler Park


Letter to the Editor of the Rolla Daily News

published June 12, 2017 on page 2 under title “Concerns remaining with dog park”

Dear Editor,

I am grateful that Mayor Magdits and the Rolla City Council are seeking input from Rolla’s citizens about the proposal to construct a dog-park in Buehler Park.

As far as I can tell, there’s almost no support in town for the proposal, and no study of the project has been made that would suggest otherwise.

Dog-parks are traditionally set up in residential areas for easy access by the residents, but Buehler Park isn’t located in a residential area.

At the April 26 park-board and June 5 City-Council meetings no one argued that a dog-park in Buehler Park would be for the benefit of Rolla’s citizens; mention was made only of travelers to our area. But travelers can already stop to enjoy Buehler Park and walk their dogs there.

The logical place for a dog-park—if one must exist in Rolla—is the area on Lions Club Drive, where an animal shelter will be built when funds are available. And the cost of a dog-park there should not be excessive; fencing is fencing, so whatever fencing costs pertain to a Buehler Park dog-park should pertain also to a dog-park on Lions Club Drive.

Now, at the April 26 park-board meeting it was stated that Royal Canin employees would be more enthusiastic about raising money for a dog-park in Buehler Park. Implication: no funds (or insufficient funds) will be raised for one on Lions Club Drive, and this was echoed at the June 5 City-Council meeting.

But if a dog-park is in fact deemed necessary for Rolla, I hope the dog-park supporters would support it wherever it’s located in Rolla. Also, I’ve learned to be skeptical when hearing “It won’t cost you any money.” The dog-park proponents are no doubt sincere in making that promise, but if any costs do arise in connection with the dog park in five, ten, fifteen years, how can we be sure the promise made in 2017 will still be honored? We can’t, of course. Things change, commitments sometimes fade, and the ultimate responsibility for any costs that may be incurred will remain with Rolla’s taxpayers.

Sincerely,

Jerry Cohen, president
Citizens for the Preservation of Buehler Park