Quick Facts

NO DOGS ALLOWED…ANYWHERE – Lake Merritt’s 155 acres DOES NOT allow any dogs – on OR off leash within the park areas. The proposed site at Lakeview is the ONLY designated spot suitable around the lake because the rest is designated as a bird sanctuary.

Did you know: There’s flat unprogrammed space all around the Lake?

The proposed park is less than 1% of the total Lake Merritt acreage.

Lake Merritt Master Plan

SHARING SPACE –

Dog play area: 34% of Lakeview Park

Space for kids, soccer players, etc: 66% of Lakeview Park (more than 1.5 acres)

EVERYONE STILL GETS TO USE THE OPEN SPACE

ALL activities happening now CAN still happen at this location – soccer, volleyball, frisbee, tai chi, picnics etc.

The children’s play area stays AS IS! The fence for the dog park is 25 feet away from the buffer zone of the tot lot and the sidewalks. The plan places the small dog area closest to the children’s play area because we know kids love  dogs.

ODOG has had many conversations with parents at the tot lot and although some of them were skeptical at first, when they understood that the dogs would be fenced in and that they would be a good distance from the tot lot they were happy with the plan.

WHO MAINTAINS IT? Maintenance will follow the highly successful plan at Oakland’s other dog parks.  Our highly successful Paws to Prune group would maintain this park. Users are responsible for all clean up of dog waste. Users have ongoing responsibility for plant care, keeping the surface tidy, minor graffiti and other low impact maintenance such as litter within the enclosure. In addition, dog park users will follow the model of the Lakeview Park parents group and have periodic clean up days.

The proposed surface is wood chips which is less expensive to maintain than grass. New style waste containers help keep the park odor free. The City will continue its regular program of maintenance for the grass at Lakeview Park.

WHO PAYS? Public and private funding will cover the approximately $50,000 cost of the dog park. The park is in Council Member Nadel’s district and she’s allocated $10K of her capital improvement fund to this amenity. Public Works has dedicated $21K. Other funds are being raised from council members and private sources by dog lovers.