Cherrybrook Off Leash Dog Park

26/06/2022

The "pet project" of Greens councillor Heyte was the subject of displays posted at the entry to the dog park. The signs have now been taken down. Why? Has the money been reallocated? Has the upgrading been completely scrapped? No word from the centre of all wisdom on Peats Ferry Road.

20/10/2020

Since this correspondence I have had no response of any kind from staff of Hornsby Shire Council, reflecting once again the cultural issue at the Council. It is a unique blend of arrogance and incompetence.

The area re-laid with turf earlier this year now comprises a few areas of hardy weeds within a desert of clay and debris. The topsoil laid with the turf has blown away creating an environment in which grass will not grow.

20/10/2020

Thanks I will seek a further brief on how we are able address your suggestions obviously it would be a matter for the whole of Council . Regards Philip

Philip Ruddock
Mayor | Hornsby Shire Council

20/10/2020

My response was:

Philip

Thank you for replying to my letter. I am, of course, fully aware of the financial constraints faced by Hornsby Shire Council. The loss of the rate revenue from the transfer of a portion of Epping to Parramatta Council and the subsequent abandonment of the proposed merger with Ku-ring-gai Council has had a negative impact on Hornsby finances.

In addition, the issue at the Cherrybrook Dog Park was not fully evident at the time the Council Operational Plan for 2020/2021 was open for public consultation earlier this year.

I am not sure if Council has ever undertaken a DCF analysis of regular returfing of the impacted portion of the dog park compared with the higher initial capital cost of artificial grass and lower ongoing maintenance costs. It would be interesting to see the results of such an analysis.

It occurs to me that one way that the balance can be shifted in favour of artificial grass versus returfing would be to reduce or even eliminate the initial capital outlay associated with artificial grass. One way this might be achieved would be an approach to vendors of artificial grass to discuss an arrangement where, in return for a free or heavily discounted cost of installation of artificial grass, Council would allow a permanent sign to be displayed at the dog park thanking the vendor for their contribution to the community and providing contact details of the vendor for promotional purposes.

I recognise that this proposal will run into opposition from the “not invented here” mentality often encountered with Council staff, however it may well result in a mutually beneficial outcome for rate payers and the vendor concerned.

I have had artificial grass installed as my front lawn for a couple of years. It has overcome the problem I faced in growing lawn in an area which was surrounded by a dense area of gum trees. That was supplied and installed by Australian Outdoor Living, but there are several other suppliers of a similar product.

Submitted for your consideration.

22/07/2020

Hornsby Shire Mayor Philip Ruddock responds: "Thanks Warwick I realize you have been raising these issues for some time resourcing improvements is somewhat demanding I will nevertheless seek a further consideration of the way forward. Regards Philip"😀

22/07/2020

Mr Steven Head
General Manager
Hornsby Shire Council
296 Peats Ferry Road
Hornsby NSW 2077

Dear Mr Head

RE: HAZARDOUS CONDITION OF CHERRYBROOK OFF LEASH DOG PARK

The purpose of this letter is to request Hornsby Council to take urgent action to address the hazardous condition of the most heavily trafficked section of the Cherrybrook Off Leash Dog Park.

Background

The area of the Cherrybrook Off Leash Dog Park that was resurfaced with new turf earlier this year has deteriorated badly, particularly during the past few months of cooler and inclement weather. The following photos illustrate the extent of the damage.

This is a view of some of the damaged area. The turf became waterlogged and with heavy footfall and pawfall from owners and dogs the surface became a hazardous quagmire. Further, continued periodic rainfall has resulted in the soil becoming rutted and some soil erosion has occurred. This has resulted in the remaining grass roots becoming exposed. As a result, any possible future regrowth will be patchy at best.

The surface is particularly slippery. As a result, I recently lost my footing whilst walking on it and nearly fell over. One park user allowed me to take the photograph below which shows her use of Wellington Boots as essential attire to negotiate the wet, uneven and treacherous surface.

The following photos show a closeup view of the hazardous surface.

Damage of this type in this area of the dog park is not new. Regular users of the dog park are well aware of several previous occasions when this area has become hazardous.

2017 Letter and improvements

On 17 August 2017 I wrote to Council drawing attention to the hazardous state of the dog park. A copy of that letter accompanies this letter.

The key concerns at that time were:

“The surface of the park has deteriorated due to a number of factors including, but not limited to:
• periods of above average rainfall, including during autumn this year

• periods of low rainfall, including during the past several months

• Council’s lawn mowing strategy which has caused the complete loss of grass in many areas.”

Particular areas of concern were:

• northern entrance gateway

• southern entrance gateway

• rutted areas where grass will no longer grow.

As a result of this letter and the accompanying publicity in the local newspapers, Council decided to extend concrete paving at the entrance gates and laid new turf over the same area that has once again deteriorated badly. It has taken little more than 2 years for the park surface to once again become dangerous for dogs and their humans.

2014 Petition and accompanying letter

On 10 December 2014 I wrote a letter to Council, accompanied by a petition from approximately 40 citizens, which sought 10 areas of improvement in the dog park.

One of the areas of improvement was the dog park surface, about which I wrote:

“Repairs to the surface of the park to rectify tripping hazards for dogs and humans

The surface of the park has deteriorated over time and is now quite hazardous. It represents a public liability risk should a park user suffer permanent or temporary injury or disability in the park.

In some areas the grass has completely disappeared and the top soil has blown away, making it impossible for the grass to regrow. Unfortunately Council has contributed to this by rotary hoeing some areas that had deteriorated due to periods of low rainfall, only to be followed by periods of rain that resulted in the area hoed being churned up and becoming waterlogged.

In addition, a large number of holes of varying widths and depths have emerged which constitute a tripping hazard for people. On a number of recent occasions dogs have been slightly injured as a result of putting a paw into a hole, resulting in a jarring injury to the leg. My own dog suffered such an injury which resulted in a sprained front leg which took several days to wear off.

It cannot be too long before a dog breaks its leg as a result of such an incident. An example of a hole at the park is illustrated below.

We request that Council consider a program to top dress and level the park surface and plant new turf in the areas where regrowth of grass is impossible because the top soil has been completely eroded. In high traffic areas consideration could be given to installation of artificial grass.

This is our third highest priority request for improvement to the park.”

Unfortunately, this issue was not addressed by Council at the time and conditions deteriorated further.

Conclusion

It is intuitively obvious that merely relaying turf on the high use area is at best a very short-term solution and a more durable surface treatment is required. As requested, 6 years ago, I recommend that Council give serious consideration to laying artificial grass as a replacement for turf on the area illustrated in this letter. Replacement of turf with artificial grass in the highest use part of the Dawson Avenue Thornleigh Dog Park has proven a successful undertaking that should inform Council’s future strategy in similar circumstances.

This could be undertaken in the near term as a project funded by any forthcoming Federal and State funding of small local job creating works which are “shovel ready”.

* * * * * *

I look forward to your early action on this matter. Should you have any questions about this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me, I would be pleased to discuss them with you at your earliest convenience.

Yours faithfully

Warwick Rex Dundas
B Ec (Hons) (Syd), FCPA, MACS (Snr)

22/07/2020

The new turf laid earlier this year has already deteriorated badly creating a hazard for dogs and their humans. A letter has been sent to Hornsby Shire Council requesting improvements.

16/04/2020

In 2013 40 regular users of Cherrybrook Off Leash Dog park signed a petition seeking 10 improvements to the dog park. The first item addressed by Hornsby Council was the provision of an additional dog poo bag dispenser. This reduced but did not compeltely eliminate the number of occasions when the park ran out of dog poo bags.

Recently the additional dog poo dispenser, which was attached to a dog park rules signpost, was knocked down and lying next to the boundary fence and has now completely disappeared.

It is no surprise that over the Easter long weekend, and subsequently, no dog poo bags have been available. This has occurred during a period of reduced activity at the park due to the bans on activities outside the house. Until a second source of bags is made available it can be expected that the original problem of frequent supply outages will return.

A letter will be written to Hornsby Shire Council requesting restoration of the second dog poo bag dispenser. An immediately available location would be the remaining dog park rules sign pole.

03/03/2019

The recent self-serving photo op by 2 Hornsby Councillors regarding the investigation of a possible development of a separate supplementary small dog park adjacent to the existing Cherrybrook Off Leash Dog Park highlights a major misunderstanding of the causes of dog attacks at off leash dog areas. The root cause, which I have personally witnesed at Cherrybrook dog park, is the failure of some owners to adequately train and socialise their dogs before they are introduced into the park. In addtion, these C and D demographic owners are often unsuitable dog owners who fail to exercise adequate control over their dogs when they are at the park. Often the owners think it is funny when dogs engage in roughhouse play which leads to one dog getting injured. It is understandable that the innocent owners of dogs that have been attacked by unsociable animals will be highly emotional and will seize on any available knee jerk reaction, such as separating dogs by size. Smaller dogs like otherwise lovable Staffordshire terriers have been known to attack other dogs and humans when not properly socialised and supervised.

The proposal outlined in the press presents numerous issues.

1. The area indicated in the article includes the emergency exit gate from The Manor, a gated community adjacent to the dog park. There will be potential fire evacuation issues if the gateway is subsumed into a dog park.
2. There is already open hostility to the presence of the existing dog park by local residents, particularly the NIMBYS and BANANAS who reside in The Manor. Council can expect strong resistance to a new dog park from these people when the community consultation stage of this proposal is reached. Since Council imposed a ridiculous 7:30 PM turn off rule on the lighting in the existing dog park in response to complaints from these curmudgeons, if Council decides to wave this proposal through despite community feedback the lighting issue will flare up again.
3. Creation of a new dog park involves more than putting up some additional fencing and (hopefully) a dual gate entrance to help minimise the risk of dog escapes. The new park will require a drinking fountain for humans and dogs similar to the one in the existing dog park. There will need to be a supply of dog poo bags and a dog poo bin which Council staff regularly maintain. Seating with shade structures will be required in the proposed area which is currently esential barren with just one or two smal trees. Additiona dog activity and play equipment will be required plus a platformor two similar to those in the existing dog park.
4. Which dog park would be used by owners of medium sized dogs?
5. In view of the critical shortage of car parking facilities adjacent to the existing dog park, if the additional dog park attracts more users, how would additional cars be accomodated?
6. Access to the existing dog park by Council lawn mowing staff is via a gateway in the area that is now proposed to be an additional separate dog park. How will access to each of the dog parks by Council staff be achieved?

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21/08/2018

As a result of the drought conditions this year, our dog parks are suffering. Grass is dying, topsoil is blowing away, and the ground is becoming compacted, making it difficult for grass to regrow when it does rain again in future.

The users of the Westleigh dog park have taken matters into their own hands. Since Hornsby Council is sitting back and watching the deterioration of our dog parks and taking no action, they have placed a long hose and sprinkler equipment in their park. When users are present they take turns to move the sprinkler around the park and water various sections to keep the grass alive.

It would be really good if Council could aerate the compacted soil so the water gets deeper into the soil and encourages stronger and deeper root growth.

Could we do something like this, or would the sprinkler and hose be stolen before it got much use?

17/08/2018

Thornleigh Vets has also provided dog play equipment at the Westleigh dog park. Perhaps we should pressure Cherrybrook Vets to do the same at our dog park.