Dexter Training Ground

[basachs]

i mean, really, who cares if the agreement made way back when about giving it to the city as a park said that no fences could be erected... there's already 1, another one isn't going to bother anyone.

[eltron]

It is not about this. I would suggest going to the park and looking at the layout and usage patterns before coming to that conclusion. Then once you figure all that out, think about the logistics of implementing the idea.

Its great to talk, it something entirely different to actually try and do.

People from both sides are still talking, and that is a very positive thing. Is it a divisive issue? Yes. Is it as dire as the Projo points out? Probably not.

[Liamlunchtray]

It is not about this. I would suggest going to the park and looking at the layout and usage patterns before coming to that conclusion. Then once you figure all that out, think about the logistics of implementing the idea.

[Cotuit]

I'm sure $20k of CDBG money would do it nice and easy.

[basachs]

There are a number of issues. Using the outfield fence as part of another dog enclosure is not really a good solution. Stray balls go out there and dog chase after them etc. Sharing that fence is not something Parks supports either and I understand their concerns.

There are also size issues, getting a big enough space without crowding a walkway or some trees that might not be appropriate to fence in.

Then there is the very real issue of using some other space in the park that is used heavily for other recreational sports. The big circle for instance, is heavily used for soccer games, as are some of the other spaces down by Hollywood Rd. I would hate to cut off space for that activity to accomadate another activity that arguably sees less use.

Then there are people that oppose further fencing in the park. The design of the park really was for passive use. As you know, it is not this great open recreational field. So we must be careful with how we change the park to accomadate permanent structures.

Nothing is impossible. However, it will take time to work through.

Obviously, I want that space to be better than it is now.

[CKWatt]

Having walked the area and looked at the aerial map, I'm still not sure why an oddly-shaped dog run couldn't be fenced off beyond what is now an outfield fence. Remove the outfield fence, move twenty feet beyond that line, construct an (admittedly oddly-shaped crescent that follows the path and trees) dog run with proper six-foot-high fencing that only Papi could knock one into with regularity.

Unfortunately, it appears the commission has washed their hands of the issue and it's up to the concerned parties to get this ball rolling-- and come up with the money to boot. I'm curious to see what will come out of the meetings.

[Macman722]

I don't understand the problem here. It was built as a baseball field and used as a baseball field. Just because a bunch of yuppies try to take it over doesn't mean it should be converted to a dog park. This is f*****g rediculous.

[Magellan98]

Issues like this folks, is why I am now in Seattle and not back in Providence as I had originally intended. I want to pull my hair out everytime I read about crap like this in the Journal! Why do non-issues become such big issues in PVD, while important issues are completely overlooked? I find it very hard to believe that converting this baseball field is the only option for a neighborhood dog park. Be creative people!

[runawayjim]

I want to pull my hair out everytime I read about crap like this in the Journal! Why do non-issues become such big issues in PVD, while important issues are completely overlooked?

[CKWatt]

i think you show a little too much faith in the projo. they don't report on anything important. in fact, i bet if no one were arrested at that meeting, they wouldn't have reported on it at all.

[Griswald]

I didn't get a chance to post on this topic during the past few weeks, but I feel strongly about the issue. I live a block from the park, and I have two greyhounds that I take there regularly. It's been a great place to meet a lot of neighbors, one of the many assets of this neighborhood.

I moved to the Armory about a year and a half ago, in the winter. Not many kids played ball in the park during the cold months. When it got warmer, kids started using the park more and more for baseball. The reason I love the park as a whole, is that it is used for so many different activities. It's a true city park. Everyone uses it - kids playing soccer and baseball; little kids in the playground; people walking on the paths, or walking their dogs.

When I heard that the ballfield was to become officially for dogs only, I didn't like the idea. I am one of the many people that takes my dogs there to exercise all the time, but I don't like the idea of excluding other uses - especially when the other major use is kids playing baseball. Kids living in cities need more places to play outdoor sports.

I don't see why the fenced area can't be shared. There are many ways to do it - post hours for baseball - most kids aren't there until after school obviously, and they're gone later in the evening. Baseball can be from 2 - 5, then dogs afterwards. Weekends can be divided also.

On the other hand, it's ridiculous that the city can't find one area to be exclusively for dogs. Not every single public park has to cater to every single possible use. Off-leash dogs are banned EVERYWHERE. How many families in Providence own dogs? Probably a majority. Yuppies, immigrants, people of every race, age, and economic status. And we can't find ONE good place to fence in and allow dogs to be off the leash? I could go on more about this, but I've said enough for one post.

Before I go though, a comment for Macman722: first of all, no one tried to "take over" the ballpark. At least during the time I've lived here, it's been shared by dog owners and ball players. Secondly, have you ever even been to this part of the city? "A bunch of yuppies" ?? I didn't realize that owning a dog automatically gives you "yuppie" status. I guess the foreign people, college students, artists, and restaurant workers who bring their dogs to this park are yuppies, I'll have to let them know. Why don't you save your ignorant comments for somewhere else.

[browncoat]

Actually, this whole mess certainly does look like a small group of white people taking over a space used by a larger group of predominantly non-white people. While I'm not one of these graduate seminar types who wants to see everything in terms of class and race, I don't think that angle can be ignored. I'm not ttrying to be divisive, but that's just how it looks.

That there is a baseball field no one is allowed to play baseball in is insane.

There is no reaon the park can't be shared -- but I suspect the people who schemed to get it turned into a full-time dog park won't let that happen.

Another dog run could be created somewhere else.

[abdiorio]

I usually go to the dog park off of Gano. I've been meaning to get over to this one. I think the dog park is a great idea and is an even greater idea for a city neighborhood. At the Gano dog park everyone knows everyone and it is a great spot to meet your neighbors. Who wants a baseball through their window? Not me. That just seems like a poor planning location for a baseball field, it's encircled by homes. This has to do with race how?

[runawayjim]

I usually go to the dog park off of Gano. I've been meaning to get over to this one. I think the dog park is a great idea and is an even greater idea for a city neighborhood. At the Gano dog park everyone knows everyone and it is a great spot to meet your neighbors. Who wants a baseball through their window? Not me. That just seems like a poor planning location for a baseball field, it's encircled by homes. This has to do with race how?

[abdiorio]

before you make statements like "who wants a baseball through their window?" i suggest you go down there and look at it. the baseball would have to be hit hard enough to cross the street and hit someone's house. it would have be one heck of a foul ball. if you've ever played baseball, you'd know that unless this is the majors, the chances of this happening is nil.

while i'm not a fan of the race card being pulled, this can be somewhat considered a race/economic issue in that the people who use the park for baseball are mainly minority children who aren't likely to go to a meeting and their parents are probably working during the times the city has meetings or just don't know about the meetings. go to any city meeting and you'll see that the majority of residents in attendance are not minorities or of a lower economic status, mainly because they have more important things to worry about.

[eltron]

1. I have been "down there to look at it", just not with the dog.

2. I never made measurements, it was only an observation.

3. I was only stating my opinion on why I think it's best as a dog park and why I like the Gano Street Dog Park. Isn't everyone entitled to their own opinion?

[quente]

2. I never made measurements, it was only an observation.

[abdiorio]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion -

but when you write something so completely ridiculous, you also have to expect to be called out on it.

Barry Bonds, right after a treatment with the Cream and the Clear, could not hit a house on the fly from home plate there....

[f1rehead]

My MAIN point, and I'll say it again, is that I think that a dog park is a great idea for a neighborhood. As I kept referring to Gano Street, it's a great place to meet your neighbors and relax..

But, I guess the people that should be deciding on what the use is should be the residents in the neighborhood and it seems as if they have decided on the dog park.

Whether or not a baseball can go through a window was mainly an observation, even if it was poor judgment.

[ruchele]

My MAIN point, and I'll say it again, is that I think that a dog park is a great idea for a neighborhood.

But, I guess the people that should be deciding on what the use is should be the residents in the neighborhood and it seems as if they have decided on the dog park.

[Griswald]

A baseball diamond is also a great idea for the neighborhood.

[runawayjim]

There is however, another baseball diamond in this neighborhood.

[eltron]

The problem is that there are no legitimate dog parks in the city. There is however, another baseball diamond in this neighborhood. As I said in my post a few days ago, I love the fact that kids use this park for all kinds of sports, I just wish that the city could find ONE place for dogs to be off-leash.

[Evil_Redhead]

Actually, this whole mess certainly does look like a small group of white people taking over a space used by a larger group of predominantly non-white people. While I'm not one of these graduate seminar types who wants to see everything in terms of class and race, I don't think that angle can be ignored. I'm not ttrying to be divisive, but that's just how it looks.

That there is a baseball field no one is allowed to play baseball in is insane.

There is no reaon the park can't be shared -- but I suspect the people who schemed to get it turned into a full-time dog park won't let that happen.

Another dog run could be created somewhere else.

[Evil_Redhead]

A baseball diamond is also a great idea for the neighborhood.

What has given you the impression that the residents of the neighborhood decided on a dog park?