Gilberts woman hopes to launch dog park

Gilberts resident Alissa Leznek has no problem taking her dogs for a walk each day.

But what she really yearns for is a nearby "bark park" where they can run without a leash.

"They need to be fenced in but they also need to run," said Leznek, who plans to re-approach village trustees on Oct. 12 with a proposal to try to establish a dog park somewhere in town.

She prefers a site off Galligan Road near Town Center Park or near the pavilion in the village's Town Center.

Either way, she hopes to get some movement from trustees, whom she approached about a year ago.

"They said, 'You came up with the idea, you do the work,'" she said, noting she would host fundraisers at Gilberts Community Days and ask for in-kind donations from businesses. "We could get the whole community involved. It is doable."

Leznek wants to model a park in Gilberts after one in Lake in the Hills. There, a dog owner pays $30 a year to enter a fenced area with a combination lock system. Owners police themselves and clean up after their dogs.

Gilberts Trustee Bruce Erbeck said trustees were considering a dog park plan but the turnover from the spring 2009 election put that issue on the back burner.

He's not in favor of the Town Center location, saying it is too crowded with sports and other activities. Rather, he prefers a vacant lot off Raymond Drive where the village did a controlled burn of an old house. This site, which is about a half mile north of the intersection of Big Timber and Tyrrell roads, could serve as a connection between the Timber Trails subdivision and the Town Center, he said.

Erbeck also suggested the village could increase its $10 annual dog registration fee to help fund the park. He stressed that any proposal from Leznek should be community driven.

"If she presents something that has a community activation mechanism, it will be met with open arms and a warm reception," Erbeck said.