District 3 matches funds raised

By Dave Schwab | SDUN Reporter

Grape Street Dog Park is more than just a recreational area for Golden Hill residents; it’s an institution. Which is why a recent community fundraising drive to raise $2,000 to returf a heavily used section of it was so successful.

“We basically sat at a card table at the entrance of the park and asked people for money,” said John Kroll, a longtime neighbor, who was among those who fought years ago to turn the 5-acre park into an unleashed dog park. “In 10 days, we had raised more than $1,000.”

Kroll said volunteers, who solicited public contributions between July 4 and July 13, would have remained there until they’d raised the full amount needed for returfing.But they didn’t have to, as District 3 Councilmember Todd Gloria came up with matching funds for the project.

“Generous donations ranged from $1 to $150,” noted Kroll.

“I gave $80, and the cost has been nothing for the pleasure it’s given me and my dogs. It’s been one of the best buys of my life,”said 86-year-old Chuck Peters, a resident on Elm Street eight blocks away.

Peters has walked numerous dogs in the park since 1979, before it was legal to do so. He recalls the battle waged against those he described as the againsters and the NIMBYs, to convert the park for dog use.

The turning point came when Christine Kehoe was the City Councilmember who supported us, and eventually the park became leash-free, he said, adding that followed a period when the city’s Parks Department outright opposed its conversion to dog use, actually sending in rangers to discourage people from bringing in pets.

But opposition to dogs at Grape Street had the opposite effect.

“The dog park became institutionalized: It became part of the neighborhood,” concluded Peters. And no politician would dare come in and say, “This can’t be leash-free anymore.” Peters credits turning Grape Street into a dog park with cleaning it up.

“Back in the ’80s and early ’90s, the park was not utilized,” he said. “We had drug dealers lined up in the parking lot, but nobody in the park itself.”

“Now,” Peters said, “it’s a beautiful place,” noting the park brings “people, and mutts alike,” together.

“We’ve had marriages, funeral proceedings, memorials. It’s inculcated into the neighborhood now,” he said. “It’s a positive thing.”

Mike Tully, grounds maintenance manager for Balboa Park, said a marked-off dirt section of Grape Street Dog Park will be returfed Aug. 3.

He cited limiting irrigation due to the city’s drought ordinance as one reason why resurfacing became necessary.

“We will be installing Bermuda sod to about a 5,000-square-foot heavily used spot between the north and west end,” Tully said. “It’s a very active area where people like to throw their balls and have the dogs bring them back and gets a lot of wear and tear.”

Tully said the freshly sodded area will be fenced off and posted the entire month of August and likely be reopened sometime in September.

Fencing off the resodded area will allow it time to rest, said Tully.

“Bermuda grass literally grows laterally,” he noted. “If you allow it to rest, it allows it to fill back in.”

Tim Doyle, now a Kensington resident, no longer lives right near Grape Street Park. But he still likes it so much he’s willing to drive the extra distance so his rescued pit bull, Fezzik, named after the giant in The Princess Bride, can romp.

“It’s truly a unique experience for both animals and humans,” Doyle said of the park. The people that go there have a special care for their animals: It’s above the standard of most parks.”

Doyle claims the park’s value is much more than aesthetic or sympathetic for dog owners. He believes it’s economic, too.

“You would be amazed at how many people bought their home in that neighborhood because of this park,” he said. “It adds a large amount of value to the homes in the area. There are now probably 20 new businesses—the dog wash, the Whistle Stop, etc. in South Park. It’s great, and the people make it great.”

Best of all, said Doyle, Grape Street Dog Park is a real melting pot.

“Where can you find an area where there’s several hundred people of all races, all ethnicities, in an area where there’s not a church service, or there’s no alcohol served?” he asked.