Randall residents hear west dog park to go along side Bassett Park

Stakes marking the location of a dog park just west of Bassett Park in Randall are already in place.

Randall residents who have been opposing locating a county operated off-leash dog park next to Bassett Park plan to seek a meeting with County Executive Jim Kreuser about the issue.

About 20 residents gathered Monday night to hear how a process they thought might lead to the park being located farther north broke down and what they could do about it yet.

County Supervisor Dennis Elverman listens to residents who want a county dog park to be located north of Bassett Park.

Town Supervisor Mike Halvorson volunteered to represent the group’s interest to Kreuser. He had already called Kreuser  today to speak about the issue and will continue to do so in coming days, he said.

County Supervisor Dennis Elverman, whose district includes the area where most of the residents live and who is the chairman of the County Board’s Parks and Highways attended the meeting. He explained that while he thought his committee was working on possible new, slightly more northern locations for the park, staff had instructed by Kreuser to pursue the next to Bassett Park location.

Elverman said Kreuser told him the location next to Bassett Park was safer for users of the park.

“I didn’t agree with that concern at all,” Elverman said.

Here’s some video of Elverman’s explantion of how he came to find out that Kreuser had ordered the park to be built at the next to Basset Park location:

Elverman explained Kreuser was able to supersede any action by the Parks and Highway Committee because the dog park location along side Bassett Park was part of the approved budget document.

“He’s done it and he has the authority to do it,” Elverman said.

Still, Elverman called such action unprecedented by a county executive in his 16 years of County Board experience.

“Since I’ve been on the County Board, this is the first time I’ve seen it happen,” Elverman said.

Some in the audience were botherd by the seemingly unilateral nature of Kreuser’s actions.

“To me it seems like a … dictator kind of thing,” said Ron Kaskin. “You’re telling me this guy has that much damn power?”

Halvorson said he will seek a meeting with Kreuser to express the resdients’ views.

“I don’t understand what the big deal is with trying to move it 200 feet down the road,” said Halvorson. “The people don’t really object to there being a dog park in Randall, they just prefer it to be behind the hill. I just don’t understand why it can’t be moved. Then everybody’s happy.”

Elverman encouraged people to also voice their concerns directly with Kreuser either with phone calls or by email — and to do so quickly since fencing bids have been awarded, stakes have been put into the ground and fencing could theoritically be installed at any time.

“I spoke to the county executive on this,” Elverman said. “We did not agree.”

Sharon McCormack, one of the leaders of the movement to move the park , suggested enlisting people who are pro-dog park, maybe even from the fundraising committee, to make the case for moving the park.

“We need some help from them,” McCormack said.

Former county Supervisor Mark Modory, the driving force on the County Board behind creating the parks, said he did not think the farther north location would be objectonable.

“They would use the park no matter where it’s at,” Modory said.

Kreuser pledged $25,000 from money the county receives from the Pheasant Run Landfill for development of the parks if another $25,000 was raised by the public. As of last week, over $41,000 had been collected, including two $12,500 donations for naming the parks.

Besides the park in Randall, another dog park is planned for Petrifying Springs County Park in Somers.