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Written by Sam Goldman, Times News Weekly
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Thursday, 01 March 2007 |
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The war of words over the city’s proposal to change city law to allow dogs to run in city parks off their leashes came to Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood last Thursday, Feb. 22, as the city Parks Department held a public hearing on the matter.
Squaring off on one side was the Juniper Park Civic Association, which filed a lawsuit against the city that led to the Parks Department’s proposal to codify what it considers to be a 20-year unwritten law allowing dogs off-leash at certain times in city parks.
The JPCA’s opponents consisted largely of members of the dog-owner umbrella organization, the New York Council of Dog Owner Groups (NYCDog).
The hearings, held in the third-floor gym of the Chelsea Recreation Center on West 25th St., drew a capacity crowd of about 200 residents from all five boroughs, and even a visitor from Massachusetts.
Matt Parker, NYCDog’s vice president, called the hearing “the third act in a
three-act play.” |
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