Willow Glen Resident

News

District says construction is part of bond funds, not for the dog park

By Alicia Upano

Rumors that the city was moving forward with a dog park at Wallenberg Park were swirling around South Willow Glen, after heavy equipment appeared near a previously proposed location.

Neighbors near the area have adamantly opposed a dog park at the site, due to safety concerns for children who use the park walking to and from Willow Glen middle and high schools, which is just north of the park. The proposal has been stalled since late 2005 by strong opposition.

Residents who went to the May 18 San Jose Unified School District board meeting were told a parking lot that would be used by dog-park users was not in the works. The heavy equipment on site was part of the Measure F bond that is funding school facility renovations.

After the meeting, district board member Pam Foley said all the high school campuses are getting new irrigation systems on their fields, including the Willow Glen campus. That project is just beginning.

"It's part of Measure F," Foley said. "Nothing more, nothing less."

However, residents Curt Dunn, Art Kennedy and other neighbors learned at the district meeting the school district and the San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department are in preliminary talks for a joint-use parking lot at the site.

However, Foley and San Jose City Council District 6 aide Tony Filice said no one is trying to pull a fast one.

"Willow Glen High School and the district strive to be good neighbors. Before any of that is considered, the neighbors will be contacted and have input," Foley said.

Kennedy, a Willow Glen resident who's leading the Wallenberg Park Preservation Team, said, "That was a relief for all of us."

The preservation group boasts an email list of more than 1,000 residents who are concerned a dog park would not only create a potential problem with children, but would also have adverse affects on parking and traffic in the area.

The dog park plans originally included parking on Curtner Avenue, which neighbors said was insufficient. When Dunn saw the current construction, he feared that the city was circumventing the public input process. He worried a parking lot was being constructed that would be used jointly by the schools and dog-park users.

Dunn addressed the issue in a letter to the district.

"I'm sure the field, sprinkler and fencing modernization work is long overdue, but I'm concerned that new structures, like a parking lot, would negatively impact my property value along with attracting new problems," he wrote.

Filice also said any dog park would have to go through an extensive approval process, including collecting comments from the community, approval by the San Jose Parks and Recreation Commission and the San Jose City Council.