Off-Leash Dog Areas Pilot Program Proposal for Town Council Review

1. Off Leash Dog AreasPilot Program Town Council Meeting March 19, 2012

2. Off Leash History • 2009 Parks Commission Vote • Did not support an off-leash area pilot program • Unofficial Off Leash Use Areas • Increasing over the last two years • Primarily focused in 3-4 parks

3. History (Cont.) • Town Council Direction • February 6, 2012: Directed staff to bring topic to Council in March • Parks Commission • February 7, 2012: Recommended staff develop a proposal for off-leash use • Town Council Direction • March 19, 2012: Directed staff to conduct a community process and provide recommendation by June 18, 2012

4. Other Local Programs • Local Off Leash Areas • City of San Carlos (Pilot) • City of Burlingame • City of San Mateo • City of Santa Cruz • City of Menlo Park • Feedback from other cities • Fenced implementations concentrate turf damage • Unfenced allows for more flexibility

5. Proposal Guidelines • Select Parks • Bachman, Live Oak Manor, and La Rinconada • Limited Hours or Days • Selected morning and/or evening hours • Limited days or rotating schedule • Self Enforcement • Posted rules • Utilize existing licensing programs • Neighborhood-based user groups

6. Community Process • 3 Community Meetings were held at Louise Van Meter Elementary School • Meeting #1: Gathered input on idea of an off-leash pilot program • Meeting #2: Proposed specific areas and hours • Meeting #3: Refined areas and hours • Removed La Rinconada as a potential pilot location

7. Community Feedback • Concerns • Potential for incidents with children • Negative interactions between dogs and people having picnics • Potential for additional issues with dog waste, if dogs are allowed off-leash. • Interactions between on-leash dogs and off-leash dogs • Increased parking and noise • Increased maintenance • Liability for the Town of Los Gatos should a dog harm a person or another dog. • Potential issues with cars where the off-leash areas may be close to the street. • Uncertainty about who will monitor and enforce the program

8. Community Feedback Support • Responsible dog owners looking for 2 hours/day of time for off-leash use • Participants of the off-leash groups often clean the litter and waste from other park users • Advocates for off-leash hours feel they could help monitor the program

9. Staff Evaluation and Proposal • Feedback from community meetings, email, and phone correspondence was used to formulate proposal • Current use patterns were examined • Physical layout of each park was evaluated • 6 month pilot • Bachman Park – 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. daily • Live Oak Manor Park – 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. daily

10. Bachman Park

11. Live Oak Manor

12. Staff Recommendation and Implementation • Signage will be posted • Park entrances • Designated areas • Rules developed and posted • Use best practices from other jurisdictions • Monitoring of off-leash hours • Enforcement for all other parks and outside of off-leash hours

13. Parks Commission • Staff Recommendation was presented to the Parks Commission on June 5, 2012 • 10 members of the public were present • 6 members of the public spoke on the issue • Parks Commission voted to recommend the proposed pilot program to Town Council (6-3 vote)

14. Parks Commission • 3 additional recommendations • Report back on progress at future Parks Commission meetings • Communicate pilot locally • Commission sub-committee to address pilot and other dog issues

15. Recommendation • Accept the staff report on the community input process and recommendation regarding a dog off-leash pilot program. • Direct staff to begin a dog off-leash pilot program for daily, limited hours at Bachman Park (7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.) and Live Oak Manor Park (9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.) • Direct staff to report back to the Town Council regarding the status of the program no later than six months after implementation.