Press

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March 3rd, 2006, San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune

No dog park means no outlet for seniors

By Cynthia Eklund

It's 2 p.m. on a sunny weekday, and the Costa Bella neighborhood park in Grover Beach is empty. A solitary old man sits on his bucket, and his trusty dog friend sits by his side. The only other person there is a lady with her Chihuahua. She sits on the grass, and her dog is not on a leash.

I walk over to the lady and let her know that she'd be smart to leash her dog because if she gets caught, she'll get a ticket. She lets me know in the course of our converstion that she had two broken legs and is currently disabled. She doesn't drive; a friend dropped her off at the park because she heard that Costa Bella was a dog park and wanted to go. Now she has to wait an hour until her friend returns to pick her up.

The park used to be brimming with senior citizens (and younger citizens) at this time of day. Thenk you, Grover Beach, for successfully chasing everyone away. Your park staff is now cutting the grass, fertilizing the grass, watering the grass for..no one to use. You have effectively chased away your most respectable senior citizens who faithfully pay their taxes and elected you to office. Many of those citizens cannot walk their dogs around the block, nor drive 25 miles north to the El Chorro dog park nor nine miles south to the Nipomo dog park.

For our frailest citizens, it's all they can do to shuffle from their cars and find a nice place to sit on a sunny patch of lawn. Having a dog gives these people a purpose to get out of their homes--to go to a park. And they did this very eagerly every day for several years

And where are those seniors now? Let me take a guess. They are hiding in their homes. Sitting in front of the TVs. Nice job Grover.

Grover Beach, Pismo Beach, Arrogo Grande and Oceano have an aging population. Fifty percent are 45 years old and older. But our local parks only have playgrounds and sport areas directed to people 30 years old and younger. I think it's time that our park and recreation needs are reassessed. Seniors want and need an off-leash dog park and are willing to donate money to have one erected.

We need it today. I miss my older friends. Will I ever see them again?

Cythia Eklund is an Arroyo Grande resident and a founding member of the Five Cities Dog Park Association. The group is working to establish off-leash parks in South County communities.

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