Planning is well underway by Fiesta Island Dog Owners to construct a new, permanent, and entirely legal pet memorial for canines on the island.

“We got approval by the Mission Bay Parks Committee (for a new memorial) and now the design is going through City park review,” said FIDO spokesperson Carolyn Chase.

Over the years, people using the off-leash area of the man-made island to walk their pets had been placing painted rocks there to honor dogs they’d lost. The memorial was in a six-foot-diameter spot next to a path in the middle of more than 90 acres. City crews had been mowing around it.

But a year ago the City, after someone complained of a canine being buried close by the memorial, removed the remaining memorial-painted rocks from there. Any rocks not picked up by their owners were eventually stored at the park ranger’s office for retrieval.

Of the makeshift island pet memorial, FIDO secretary Jean Spengel said, “It gave a lot of comfort to people who lost a pet, and was in a place, like a human cemetery, where people could go to find solace, see their rocks and think about the role the animal played in their lives,” She added, “Nothing was buried there. It was just a place to put the rocks.”

Pointing out that Fiesta Island is “the only place where you can really exercise and walk in nature with your dog, Spengel added, “We were able to convince the City and the California Coastal Commission that dog walking was really a valid recreational use for people.”

Spengel said FIDO will pay the cost of, and do the work on, constructing the new pet memorial. She noted their nonprofit “had to come up with a plan (for a memorial) that was “a little bit larger and a little nicer.”

Noting there are two diagrams of the plan they are proposing to build, Spengel added FIDO “really needs to find a project manager to help with the trenching and building of the footing and the cement block wall to make sure it is done right so it is level and square and ends up looking nice.” She added they will probably rely on volunteer labor to do the project, which is going to consume a considerable amount of materials, on the order of 1,600 pounds of block, gravel, and sand. “We also need to come up with a way to get those supplies out there, which will take a little bit of planning, organization, and work on our part,” she said.

Concerning the timeline for getting all the necessary permitting and approvals for constructing the memorial, Spengel noted: “The thing to remember is things work slowly. We have to go through a park design review, and we may have to ultimately go before the full City Council and the Mission Bay Parks board to get final approval. Then we may have to get a right-of-entry permit from the City to work on San Diego public lands. That will take several months. This is not an overnight project.”

There are other, future, projects FIDO is considering working on to improve Fiesta Island. One of those is participating in getting rid of invasive, non-native species on the island, like foxtails, which are harmful to dogs if they get stuck in their sinuses. “We’re working with San Diego Audubon to get rid of those noxious plants,” Spengel said.

PARK BOARD POLICY

City Park and Recreation Board policy requires gifts of architectural features, works of art, and commemorative plaques for public parks or on other City-owned land to:

– Add to the interest and attractiveness of the parks, or be of service to patrons of the parks, i.e., drinking fountains, and benches.

– Be reviewed by the Park and Recreation Board and submitted by them to the City Council with recommendations.

– Be coordinated for review with the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

– Serve as a recognition to an individual or group, living or dead, who have made a significant contribution to a specific park or community, commemorate a historic occasion, or acknowledge the interest of a group or individual in a park.

– Require costs of development and placement of a decorative memorial or commemorative feature to be borne totally by private funds.

– Allow costs to be shared by the City if the “feature” provides a service to park patrons.