Board Drops Triunfo as ‘Initial Site’ for Dog Park

Triunfo Park will not be the site of Ventura County’s first dog park, the Conejo Recreation and Park District’s board of directors decided Thursday night.

After being swarmed by nearly 50 area residents--both dog lovers who want a gated, leash-free area for dogs and those who don’t want it in their neighborhood--board members decided they would discuss the issue again at a future meeting.

The board voted unanimously to remove Triunfo Park as the “initial site” of the dog park. The wording of the board’s motion leaves the door open for a dog park at Triunfo Park should the board choose to open multiple locations.

Residents who live in the Westlake neighborhood near Triunfo Park said they are not necessarily opposed to a dog park, but they just don’t think their local playground is the right spot.

“Hearing the happy kids play is the best sound in the world. Please don’t replace that with dogs barking,” said Terry Kingston, who lives across the street from the park.

Traffic concerns were foremost on the minds of most residents living near the park.

“Triunfo Park is a neighborhood park. There are no major streets to handle the traffic,” said Rich Pearsall, president of the homeowners association for Foxmoor Hills, the housing subdivision that abuts the park.

And traffic could indeed be a problem, considering the popularity of other dog parks.

Based on a survey of other Southern California cities, between 100 and 200 pet owners use the specialized parks on weekdays and as many as 300 visit on weekends, said Tom Sorensen, the district’s administrator for parks and planning.

Seeing their preferred locale shot down, members of Park ‘n’ Bark said they really don’t care where the dog park is located as long as one is opened, and soon.

“I’m asking there be an enclosed dog park somewhere in the Conejo Valley,” said Debby Carloni, president of Park ‘n’ Bark, who agreed with her adversaries that Triunfo Park was not the best location.

“If there are a large number of dogs and their humans using the park, maybe that points to the need for two parks,” said Carloni, who like most of her group’s members wore red ribbons on her lapel with cartoon images of dogs and paw prints.

The nonprofit organization has promised to fund half the construction costs and all of the maintenance for a canine corral.

In June, the park board agreed to research developing a dog park in the Conejo Valley. Although Triunfo Park was not specified in the project description, Park ‘n’ Bark members, many of whom live in the Westlake community, had suggested this park in the southeastern corner of the district.

While Ventura County has yet to construct a dog park, two are now open in the San Fernando Valley, and the nearby city of Calabasas is also investigating one.

The doggy stomping grounds are excellent locations for exercise and social gatherings--two activities that dogs need on a regular basis--Park ‘n’ Bark members say.

Although district staff indicated that the funds pledged to the district hinged on the selection of Triunfo Park as the dog park location, Park ‘n’ Bark members said before the meeting that they are still eager to work with the district.

“We would hope to go 50-50, if it were part of a developed park,” Carloni said. The organization, which hosted a major fund-raiser in September, may not be able to afford half the construction costs if undeveloped parkland is chosen. Carloni declined to say how much money was raised at the Howler’s Ball.