City considers dog park fees
morgan hill
The city should terminate a contract with local dog owners and start paying for monthly water and mowing costs at the popular dog park that opened in January, according to the Morgan Hill Public Works Department. On Wednesday, the Morgan Hill City Council voted to study the matter further. The dog owners group, also known as Morgan Hill D.O.G., entered into a contract with the city of Morgan Hill in November 2006 that requires its members to pay for the city’s monthly watering and mowing costs at the new fenced-in dog park at Community Park on Edmundson Avenue. So far, D.O.G. has been billed and has paid for costs totaling $1,240 for water and $645 for mowing, according to the city. But after 10 months of continued popularity, the public works department is agreeing with D.O.G. and the Morgan Hill Parks and Recreation Commission that the city should foot the bill for lawn care at the dog park starting July 2008. The public works department has the support of police, despite 15 incidents of dog-on-dog attacks, with seven leading to formal reports and investigations, since the dog park opened. But despite some badly behaved dogs, police view the park as a positive addition to the community, according to the public works department. Animal control officers have responded to reports of out-of-the-area dog owners bringing aggressive dogs, including pit bulls, to the park, in which case the offending dog owners were asked to leave. The public works department submitted these observations from local police, along with a recommendation to pay for law maintenance costs, at Wednesday night’s Morgan Hill City Council meeting.
County expands school routes
San Jose
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s Safe Routes to School program has been awarded a $500,000 grant for a new project that will encourage children to walk and bicycle to school, while addressing traffic safety issues that currently discourage it.
The public education and traffic safety project will seek to decrease traffic congestion around schools in the county and to increase the number of days students walk or bike to school. Other expected benefits include increased physical activity, less car congestion near schools and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
  “Anything that we can do to make our streets safer and environmentally cleaner for children and families is a step in the right direction,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, co-chair of the Traffic Safe Communities Network. “Improving routes to schools will encourage students to exercise on the way to their classes and enjoy the environmental benefits of cleaner air.”
