We, the undersigned residents and business owners of North Castle, are concerned about the negative impact that a Wampus Brook dog park will have on our Wampus neighbors, the character of our historic downtown, and our Town Budget.
Councilwoman Diane Roth has chosen not to follow American Kennel Club's recommended steps to create a dog park and instead has chosen a location in haste, has not completed the due diligence required to make fiscally prudent decisions, nor reached out to the proposed park's neighbors, stakeholders, or community at large for input. As a result, moving forward with the proposed dog park at this time is wrong for the following reasons:
1. The current proposal for a dog park at the corner of Maple Avenue and Bedford Road is terribly out of place. It is one of the "gateways" to the hamlet of Armonk and the dog park would be flanked by the eye catching Mariani Gardens, the historic St. Stephen's Church, and the idyllic Wampus Park;
2. The Town Board has not studied the noise, light, parking, traffic and safety issues on the Wampus Close neighborhood, St. Stephen's, the local businesses or historic district;
3. The Town Board has not completed its due diligence to identify design, maintenance, and liability costs;
4. The Town has not met with the Wampus Close neighbors and has ignored requests by residents to set up an ad-hoc committee to assist with the due diligence; and
5. Neither the Town's Comprehensive Plan nor its Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has identified a dog park as a priority or identified an appropriate location in its policies, recommended programs or as a result of the Parks and Recreation's community survey.
