Lewes subleases land for dog park

Sussex County is one step closer to having its first dog park. Lewes Mayor and City Council granted a sublease of 4.5 acres of land off Park Road to Lewes Unleashed for the purpose of constructing and operating a dog park.

“To me, this is akin to the farmers market in the sense that it is a place for people with like interests to come and congregate as community members to talk about what's important to them,” said Councilwoman Bonnie Osler.

Osler has been a supporter of the dog park idea since it was introduced in 2011 and has worked with Lewes Unleashed and the state since she joined council in 2012 to find a way to make the dog park happen.

The city leased 66 acres of land from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in March 2006 to be used for active or passive recreation. Lewes Unleashed approached the city about the dog park in July 2011, and the concept was approved in November 2011. About a year later, mayor and city council approved the park's initial design concept and its building on the 66-acre parcel. Since then, Osler said, she, Lewes Unleashed and the state have been working to find an approach that will work all parties.

Under the approved sublease agreement, she said, Lewes Unleashed will be responsible for construction, maintenance and operation of the dog park. The city will provide police protection, garbage and recycling collection and any other services provided to other nonprofit organizations. Lewes Unleashed will be required to obtain insurance, and the city will be indemnified in the event something goes wrong.

Janice Erich, talking on behalf of Lewes Unleashed, said her organization has found insurance.

Rehoboth Beach resident Yvonne Cipressi said she's been anxiously waiting the dog park since she moved to the Cape Region in 2011. Not only is it a nice place for dogs, but also their owners, she said.

“It's a way for me as a new resident of a different age group to gather some wisdom or be intellectually challenged while my dog is playing with your dog,” she said.

Gerald Lechliter of nearby Harborview Road said the city has not followed the proper procedure. He said the city needs to create an overall use plan for the entire 66-acre parcel before allowing the dog park to move forward.

“I don't mind a dog park back there, but you have to abide by procedure,” he said. “The city has put the cart before the horse.”

Lechliter is also concerned about the lack of public meetings about the dog park. It is his opinion that the talks between the city, the state and Lewes Unleashed should have been open for the public to comment.

“I haven't seen public involvement at all levels of this process,” he said. “I just heard statements that the city has been talking with DNREC and the dog park people about this project. Where is public involvement?”

Councilman Rob Morgan said there's no reason the city should not work with Lewes Unleashed and the state.

“I think we've had a lot of public process, going on three years,” he said. “It's not improper for a private group to lobby on behalf of their special interest anymore than it is improper for the library to do it or the Overfalls Foundation to do it.”

Nearby Hoornkill Avenue resident Seth Price also raised a minor issue with the dog park idea.

“In my mind, it's almost a special interest group, and it's taking a very large section of this usable land and putting it, to a degree, off limits to a certain amount of people who aren't dog owners,” he said.

Osler said the land is only a small section of the larger 66-acre parcel, and the land must be used for active or passive recreation. She added that since the dog park idea first surfaced, the city has discussed several other uses for the parcel as a whole, with groups seeking a botanical garden, soccer club fields and a community garden – all of which have either found other land or lost interest in the property.

“The only constant in this entire timeline has been Lewes Unleashed,” she said.

Lewes Unleashed member Jayne Abercrombie said the goal is to offer an area for dog owners to take their pets to congregate in a safe place. If the space is overpopulated, she said, use can be limited.

“We have always said, and from the heart, that we want to be good neighbors,” she said. “There are many people in Lewes who want a dog park; who deserve a dog park. Those folks pay taxes too. Those folks deserve to have that in a safe, contained environment.”