Action Alert: Keep Access to Upper Douglass Dog Park

Action Alert:  Keep Access to Upper Douglass Dog Park

San Francisco Recreation and Park Department is trying to drastically cut the hours of access to Upper Douglass Dog Park. The park is currently open 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., but last week the Department went before the Rec and Park Operations Committee with a resolution by a small group of neighbors seeking to restrict the hours to 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

On June 20, the issue goes before the full Rec and Park Commission with a slightly revised version that will limit access to 7 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. While better than the original closure proposal, this new limit will mean that many people who work will not have enough time to walk their dogs in the park after they get home and before the park closes.

Rec & Park Violated Procedures

Rec and Park Department did not hold a single community meeting about these changes even though they are required to do so. They did not get the support of the district supervisor even though they are required to do so. They have bypassed the public even though their own guidelines require these steps before a significant change can be made to a park’s hours.

Upper Douglass is closed every week on Wednesday. The park is closed for three months in the winter, sometimes even longer. Upper Douglass is essentially closed for one-quarter of the year – more than any other park in the city.

This resolution should not be considered by the Rec and Park Commission without a fair opportunity for the public to provide input. We need your help asking the Commissioners to deny the resolution and direct Rec and Park to follow its own procedures it has in place for changing a park’s hours. 

Join SFDOG, Friends of Upper Douglass Dog Park (FUDDP) and your dog-loving neighbors in this call to action:

1) Send an email opposing the change in hours at Upper Douglass Dog Park to: 
Rec and Park Commissioners:  recpark.commission@sfgov.org
SFRPD General Manager Phil Ginsburg:  phil.ginsburg@sfgov.org
cc: District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman:  mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org 

2) Attend the hearing on Thursday, June 20 at 10 a.m.
Rec and Park Commission
San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room # 416 
San Francisco o, CA 94102

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/ve5JsrDtspVqykoj6

Visit our event page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/2246285968790890/

Visit our Facebook page for updates.