Bulldogs Have a New Place to Play

From BucksLocalNews.com

Everyone says "Let the dogs play". When do they say "tax relief is on the way"?

Posted on Thu, Apr 23, 2009
Morrisville Council OKs new dog park
The new dog park received unanimous approval by council.
By Petra Chesner Schlatter; Staff Editor

The canine population in Morrisville Borough now has something else to bark about.In an 8-0 vote, the Morrisville Borough Council approved Morrisville Dog Park on April 20. The park will be situated at Delmorr and Philadelphia avenues in the southern part of the borough - not far from the Delaware River.

About 20 proponents of the park attended the meeting. The Friends of Morrisville Dog Park and council members have had long discussions about using a piece of borough-owned land for a dog park. The land is earmarked as open space.

"This gives us the go-ahead," said Ellen Stieve after the meeting. "It's been a long road. It's like having a baby. It's been nine months!"

Stieve said the unanimous decision is "a turning point to move forward."
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After the meeting, Nancy Sherlock, council president, noted "the vote authorizes the borough manager to proceed with the dog park based on the borough engineer's specifications and dimensions as approved by borough council."

Sherlock said the dog park is "another amenity for the town. This is a group of people who were willing to work for a goal, to come out and assist with the fencing."

To expedite the process, the project will be completed in two phases, the later portion dealing with parking. For now, there will be only off-street parking. Council decided to ask the fire company whether its vacant lot could be used by visitors of the dog park. Borough Manager George Mount had warned it would be better not to use off-street parking.

Talks are underway to determine how many parking spaces are allowed on the site; given the land is part of the borough's open space plan. Five spaces would be allowed. The group wants 20. Another concern was the location of the proposed parking area and whether drivers would be more apt to park on the grass. On the plan, the gates will be moved closer to the proposed parking area to avoid a potential problem.

The Friends of Morrisville Dog Park incorporated as a non-profit organization. They hosted a popular dog wash to raise funds to build a fence and are planning some other fund raisers.

Stieve had given an update and presented the project's final site plan to council on April 16. Council's unanimous vote means the site plan has been approved. Several revisions to the site plan were made to address the council's concerns. A memorandum of understanding will be signed later, spelling out the responsibilities for the borough and the dog park proponents.

She noted some council members recently visited the site. One of the requests from the council was to move the lot line by 15 feet at Delmorr Avenue "to accommodate a picnic area and recreation area," Stieve explained.

Before the meeting, Stieve said since she first presented the idea to the council, the dog park's square footage has gotten "smaller and smaller."

The caged section for small dogs will be 77' x 73' while the larger one will be 220' x 115'.

Stieve noted her group has worked with the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC).

The EAC has opposed allowing commercial signs to line the fencing around the park's perimeter.

The dog park proponents said they would have used proceeds to pay for fencing for the park. The EAC maintained the signs are not allowed in designated open space areas. The EAC has said the Bucks County Planning Commission does not allow signage like that.

A compromise was made to have something like a kiosk in one area near the dog park where sponsors could be listed.

The EAC had also been concerned about protecting three large trees, which were originally proposed to be inside the dog park. Park proponents had said the trees would provide shade. However, the trees will now be located outside the fence.

To contribute to the Morrisville Dog Park, make checks payable to Friends of Morrisville Dog Park, c/o Ellen Stieve, 421 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Morrisville, Pa. 19067.