APPRO-2025-29 : An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) in the amount of $48,000 to DPW-Parks (#475) for improvements to the Dog Park.

Transcript (~6 min @ 41:16)

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▶ 41:01 Mark Garipay: Yes. Thank you Mr. Chu. That will be recommended. Thank everybody. Council, uh, next up we're under appropriations. We have ID 1, 2, 6, 4 7 and appropriation from free cash account 0 1 3 2 4 0 0 1 in the amount of 48,000 to DPW Parks. Number 4, 7 5 for improvements to the dog park. We have, uh, park Superintendent Rob Carillo with us Floor.

▶ 41:25 Speaker 5: Your

▶ 41:27 Speaker 7: Thank you. Um, so if anyone's not familiar with the dog park, it's across from Melrose High School. Uh, and of the Noel parking Lot. It was installed in 2012. Looking at the records is around 11 grand was appropriated to do the whole thing. Um, the fence is a four foot fence with all the mulch being pushed up against it. It's more of a two foot fence. So the kind of issues we have are like safety concerns. Um, a dog jumping over that fence. We have soccer, lacrosse, any sports going on over there? Um, I've been in this role since September, I believe it's been 12 requests to DPW to patch the fence. So right now, if you go drive by there and look at the fence, it's all patched up and just twined together. So it's definitely due. Um, the quote I got for this fence was for something that we're gonna set and forget. I don't wanna have to keep dealing with broken fences or asking DPW to pull the mulch back. It's a six foot fence. It's a little bit more heavy duty. Um, the company also quoted to do the mulch to do this project, the mulch gonna have to be removed for, from about 50% of the dog park. Um, so they're gonna take that out. They're gonna do mulching. They're gonna have a six foot fence with higher quality, um, steel or aluminum, whatever it is for that. Um, yeah, so, and the, the dog society has been requesting this for a, a long time, much longer than I've been in this role. Um, and the issue's kind of been funding for it. So I figured I'd put up to the city council's decision

▶ 42:52 Speaker 5: Council Fano, Thanks for being here tonight.

▶ 42:53 Cal Finocchiaro: And I'm in that dog park a lot, uh, with my dogs. And yes, it's actually, I've been there and they've almost jumped over the fence because we, the mulch meets it. It's literally like a foot and a half, two feet high. Yeah. Um, is it gonna be another chain link fence, do you

▶ 43:09 Speaker 7: Know? Yes. Six foot chain link. Okay. Um, the gate rails and the corners are gonna be thicker. Okay. Poles. And then it's gonna be the same three inch poles around six foot tall.

▶ 43:22 Speaker 8: Okay.

▶ 43:24 Speaker 2: Great. Um, I know fencing is expensive and that's a big park, so I'm assuming this is the, this bid is correct, but yeah. Um, I'll make a motion to recommend. Second,

▶ 43:34 Mark Garipay: We have a motion to recommend by Council Gerra. Seconded by Council Romanul Romanul on discussion.

▶ 43:43 Speaker 5: Council Jamal.

▶ 43:44 Maya Jamaleddine: Thank you. Um, are all the materials, um, like in, in stocks and that is needed for this, uh, project? I believe so. So it's not something that we, we will need to order and we will need to get quotes on everything.

▶ 44:00 Speaker 7: The company's on the state bid list. Um, they've done work with the city before. Um, they give us the quote with materials, labor, everything included.

▶ 44:09 Maya Jamaleddine: Knowing that what's going on right now in the country. All the quotes are about, you know, it used to be at least

▶ 44:20 Maya Jamaleddine: a month, um, uh, before it expires. Now there is some quotes one day or 24 hours. Are these, uh, is this the case in this order?

▶ 44:28 Speaker 7: I'm not a hundred percent sure. I got, got this quote two weeks ago, so I can double check. Okay. Once I get outta this meeting, I can give the guy a call and find out, but I, I believe that's, um, ongoing with that price.

▶ 44:41 Speaker 2: Well, thank you Council Stewart.

▶ 44:45 Robb Stewart: Thank you Mr. Chair. Um, just for the public's awareness, um, how long, how long will we shut down, uh, when you're gonna do this?

▶ 44:54 Speaker 7: Um, depending on if the money's appropriated, um, I'm guessing summer is probably a good time to do it. Just piggybacking off of, um, councilor John Modine's point there, if the prices are gonna change, probably the sooner the better in a situation like that. Um, I didn't get an estimated date for it when I got the quote. I was just kind of get a ballpark of what it would cost.

▶ 45:15 Robb Stewart: Okay. And how long would it, how long roughly do you think it would be down for?

▶ 45:20 Speaker 4: Not Sure. Not sure? Okay. Alright.

▶ 45:22 Speaker 7: I think it's 520 feet of fence around the border. So I'm guessing they have a full team out here. It's not a small job. It's not like a, a backyard. So I'm guessing they'll have a good amount of people out here to take care of it.

▶ 45:32 Robb Stewart: Okay. So in three days instead of two days. Right. Alright. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Council

▶ 45:37 Speaker 5: Vandever. Thank

▶ 45:38 Kimberly Vandiver: you. Um, uh, well, I don't have a dog. We, my toddler and I like to watch the dogs, the dog park. Um, is there, has there ever been anything from the dog owners about, um, you know, if we're doing this fence right now, is it, is the dog park definitely in the correct configuration to, you know, as far as the shape, the size? Like, is there any other change that you might foresee making that you would wanna do before, you know, equipment inside? Anything else you might wanna change out before doing the fence?

▶ 46:05 Speaker 7: Um, so that was one of the first things I learned about this job is I walked with the President of the Doc Society and a few other members, and 90% of the conversation was them talking about the fence. Um, they had a few ideas to kind of upgrade some of the things in there, but there was no comment on adding new structures or anything like that. It was kind of just updating. Um, they talked about adding like a, a grip tape to some of the climbing structures. 'cause dogs were sliding. But in terms of expanding the area, there's been no request. Awesome.

▶ 46:34 Speaker 4: Thank you so much. Any other councils

▶ 46:42 Speaker 5: take a roll call.

▶ 46:44 Speaker 1: Vice Chair Jamine? Yes. Council Occhio? Yes. Councilor Hamilton? Yes. Council Karara Chetty? Yes. Councilor Reky? Yes. Councilor Romanul. Woo. Uh, yes.

▶ 46:56 Speaker 9: Stop part Stewart. Sorry. Council Stewart?

▶ 47:01 Speaker 1: Yes. Council Vanderberg? Yes. Council Williams? Yes. President Elli? Yes. Chair Gareg? Yes. Motion passes.