Dog park proposal near Lake Cushman tabled

Kirk Boxleitner | Jun 02, 20220

A resident’s proposal to work with the Port of Hoodsport on creating a public dog park was tabled after port commissioners voted 2-1 on May 11 not to proceed with investigating the proposal.

While Port Commissioner Terry Brazil said he intended to investigate further on his own, he and Port Commissioner Lori Kincannon voted against the port moving forward with the proposal. Port Commissioner Cody Morris voted in favor.

Dog park proponent Bill Long expressed interest in using an acre and a half along state Route 119, near the disc golf course, as a place for large and small dogs, but Brazil said clearing trees for a dog park would anger area residents.

Long cited his experience as president of SUN (Safe, Unleashed, Natural) Dogs of Pierce County, a nonprofit organization that developed and funded an off-leash area at Chambers Bay starting in 2005 in partnership with the city of University Place and Pierce County.

Long said his group could bring $10,000 it has in the bank to such a partnership in Mason County to help provide infrastructure and regular maintenance.

Brazil cited a section of the state’s constitution that forbids entities such as a port to gift or lend public property for private or business use, unless the commission approves it for special events, such as Fjordin Crossin.

Brazil and Kincannon noted the amount of work that needs to be done to the disc golf area, from mud cleanup to tree removal, while Port Operations Manager Kathleen Wyatt said the disc golfers do not own the course, which remains port property. The disc golfers do maintain the course, and even help the port conduct tournaments there.

“That’s exactly what we would be doing,” Long said. “We don’t want the land. The land would still belong to the Port of Hoodsport, and be open to the public. As a 501(c)(3), our volunteers would maintain the area, provide fencing and clean it up on a daily basis. We’d even provide dog poop bags.”

Kincannon said the port would need to conduct further research and consult with its attorney before it could enter into such a partnership, with which Brazil agreed, because “once we start cutting down trees, our decision has to be made firm.”

Brazil went on to say he was “not totally against the idea” of a dog park, but again, he anticipated a poor reception from the public if trees were cleared for that space. Morris suggested a compromise, to allow the trees’ roots to prevent a dog park space from devolving into a “mud pit.”

Brazil initially moved to postpone any decision on the matter “until we can get a few more details, and Bill has been very good at giving those details,” but Kincannon requested Brazil rephrase his motion, as to whether the port should proceed with further investigation of Long’s proposal.

Kincannon clarified the investigation would be about whether the port should be involved in the ownership of such a dog park, and Wyatt pointed out that, as with the disc golf course, when its volunteers are not available, the port is still responsible for maintaining it, and faces exposure to liability if it doesn’t.