Thursday, July 19, 2007

Birmingham needs new dog park -- and fast!

We haven't read the Michigan Supreme Court decision on Birmingham's dog park yet, but we can imagine reading the looks on the faces of the many patrons of the park when they show up only to find it closed.

The dog park, though located in Bloomfield Township, was an enormous asset to the community -- a social center for humans and canines alike. And it proved that a dog park can be clean and well-maintained, relatively quiet -- all-in-all a good neighbor, despite the lack of welcome from neighbors in Bloomfield Township.

Birmingham needs to act fast to replace the closed park with at least one, perhaps more, dog parks within its own boundaries. Several locations come to mind: the vast Poppleton Park, Barnum, Roeper. The city needs to consult with the citizens group that spearheaded the Springdale park, and come up with a solution soon. The dog park proved its value, and must be replaced.