Once upon a time in 2009, a group of dedicated dog-owners worked their tails off (ha!) to try and prevent what they saw as the mostly unnecessary and premature closing of the off-leash area at Bull Creek District Park in Austin, TX.

This is their story.

After months of delays and glimmers of (false) hope, the park was finally and officially closed this morning. 

What more is there to say? 

On my way out, I passed this truck bringing in what looked to be the wood chip-filled mesh tubes mentioned in the second restoration meeting. 

The cedar logs to be used in terracing and water-flow modification were dropped off a few days ago. 

Wherever life finds you and your dogs over the next year, keep ‘em socialized, keep ‘em safe, and check back here, as I’ll try to cover the restoration as much as time and logistics allow.

Chris R.

(A PDF of this plan graphic and the presentation from the first meeting earlier in the month can be found here.)

From the City of Austin:

The Parks and Recreation Department and the Watershed Protection Department will host a community forum to review the design plans for the project to restore the vegetation in Bull Creek District Park on Monday, November 23, 2009, at the Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

The restoration project will prevent further erosion along the creek, restore natural vegetation along the creek and under the live oaks as well as reduce soil compaction underneath the grove of live oaks. Healthy, vegetated areas along and near creeks also serve as natural filtration for pollutants generated in other areas of the park. City of Austin staff will present final design plans, with the focus on the elements of the plan that received significant input at the forum on November 9, 2009.

For more information, contact, Danny Castro, Division Manager, Programs Division, (512) 974 – 6777 or email: danny.castro@ci.austin.tx.us

UPDATE 11/9/2009

I am sad to report that the off leash area of Bull Creek District Park
will close, never to open again.  If you own a dog you will have to go
somewhere else from now on.  The nearest location would be Turkey
Creek near City Park or Red Bud Isle.

Our group Bull Creek Dog Off Leash Group-BCDOG and its volunteers have
spent over 1000 hours just this year making improvements, education
and general upkeep at the park.  We installed the split rail fence you
see along the road to deter dogs and kids from running into the
street.  We installed the octagonal green bench that sits under the
200 year old oak tree.  We have spread mulch, picked up poop & trash,
educated park patrons about scooping the poop, held educational and
fundraising events, did what we could for erosion control, started a
Volunteer Park Monitor program to educate about violations from not
scooping the poop to drinking and littering and just generally
maintained the park.

The City of Austin, Parks & Recreation Department is closing the park
for a restoration project for at least 6 months, and then have a ‘testing period’

for another 6 months and it is my personal opinion that the off leash area
will never open up again.  Our group has offered idea after idea,
proposal after proposal and none of our ideas or proposals have been
included into the COA’s plans and proposals.

Here is a link to the COA’s most recent restoration project plan

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/downloads/bull_creek_district_park_rrst_project.pdf

The COA is going to continue move forward with the exact same plan
they have had since early spring of this year.  The plan has not
changed, our ideas have not been included and there has been no
recognition, gratitude or appreciation for our results, efforts and
our group.  The COA wants to do this their way and so it shall be.
The 1000 + hours of free annual volunteer labor and approximately
$10,000 in grant monies that could have been redirected to the
restoration of the park from BCDOG that could have helped the COA in
this tight budgetary year will not be there to help with the
restoration project nor any other project.  Furthermore I personally
recommend that the Bull Creek Foundation also remove all volunteer
efforts at Bull Creek District Park and that BCDOG disband and all
grant monies , we have be grandfathered into the Bull Creek
Foundation’s account.

Bull Creek OLA should be removed from the COA’s website as an off
leash area and the newly formed OLAAC should be notified that this OLA
has closed.

We can only wish the COA luck with this autocratic leadership style
and approach.

Sincerely,
Debra Bailey
Bull Creek Dog Off Leash Group President

Over the past several months, many dedicated BC dog park supporters have attended city meetings of all shapes and sizes. Sadly, it’s mostly felt like tilting at windmills. That being said, the meeting the city is holding tonight is one more chance — possibly your last chance — to try to get the city to hear your voice, and it is the city’s first public release of its design plan for the restoration. No matter if or when the park eventually closes, it will one da re-open, and we need to make sure that we do all that we can to ensure that when it does, it’s still friendly, suitable for, and available to off-leash dogs. If there is any chance you can attend — especially if you haven’t had a chance to voice your opinion in previous meetings — please make the effort to come down and speak up. The meeting will be held on WPD’s home turf at the One Texas Center at 505 Barton Springs Rd in Room 325. It is scheduled to start at 6:00PM.

I accidentallly stumbled across this quote today while looking through an Austin-related online forum. It was posted in 2006:

You see, the major difference between Austin and most other major cities (even in Texas) is that the city government runs other cities, while the neighborhood associations run Austin. I have never seen these groups have so much power and influence in my entire life like they do here. The city government bends over backwards for them on every single issue, no matter what it is.

Not being an Austin native, I was originally surprised by groups like the NWACA, if not of their existence, then the seemingly vast amount of confidence (if not outright clout) that they seem to project. I originally chalked my surprise up to this being my first time being really involved in a civic issue — as I never experienced neighborhood groups like these before, even in the very progressive/active neighborhood I lived in in CA —  but maybe these groups and their relationship to the city are something unique to Austin. The NWACA was opposed to the OLA and deaf to BCDOG’s efforts from the get-go — as was the city — and their views have stayed in lockstep ever since.

To me, what’s weird is that I would think in most cases a neighborhood association would exist to stop city government from steamrolling a project into its backyard, not to blindly back it. Unless, of course, they spawned the whole idea in the first place.

Chris R

For all those who wondered how the city was going to implement a physical barrier to park entry after the 1st, these two posts appeared over the past several days, presumably to facilitate a chain or other barrier across the entrance.

It’s so good to know that the city is prepared for at least one part of their heinous scheme.

I would have given the city more style points if they had just extended the split-rail fence right across the driveway (not to mention mad irony points as well). It would have prevented the eight-foot gap between that fence and the new posts, which is an obvious security failure and is sure to be breached by the encroaching dog armies.

I take back what I said about the city being prepared.

If you would like to give your opinion and or input about the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department restoration project at Bull Creek District Park then please attend the first public meeting.  This meeting will be held Monday, November 09, 2009 6:00 PM-8:00 PM at One Texas Center Room 325, located at 505 Barton Springs Road.

This just in, looks like PARD & WPD are still playing ‘hot potato’…According to Sara Hensley Bull Creek OLA closing has been pushed back to December 1.

“It looks as though we are pushing the closing of the Off Leash Area until December 1, 2009.  And, now that Emma Long is no longer an option, we are looking for alternative sites again.  Sara”

With all the politico volleys going back and forth this comes as no big surprise to me personally that PARD & WPD still have no idea what they are doing and still have yet to utilize our volunteer group to help with this obviously sensitive project and topic.  But it is good news that there will be no closing on November 1. 

Keep sending your emails and comments to the Mayor, City Council, and Sara Hensley. 

A special thank you to BCDOG members Gary Prant and Christine Wagner for stepping it up and taking action on behalf of all BCDOG members.

Our park is not closed yet…Keep the hope and keep the fight!

Debra Bailey

BCDOG-President

The story is also on KXAN’s website. The comments are a real hoot.