It's Dogs vs. Goliath as Brook Run Dog Park advocates wage a desperate battle against Dunwoody's intransigent elected officials. Though the message of Tuesday's election was clearly "listen to the people of Dunwoody," the city has just moved closer to closing the hugely popular dog park. In response, Brook Run Dog Park supporters will rally at Dunwoody City Hall at 6:30 PM on Tuesday (November 12) - just before a meeting of the mayor and council members who are accused of refusing to respond to angry taxpayers and dog park lovers alike.
The award-winning dog park attracts hundreds of visitors every week from Dunwoody and surrounding communities. Shady and spacious, it is widely regarded as the best off-leash dog park in metro Atlanta. Yet members of Dunwoody's City Council, led by Mayor
Mike Davis, want to close Brook Run Dog Park and build a new, unshaded park which critics say will be 75% smaller, will cost a minimum of $70,000 and will not meet nationally recognized standards.
On November 4, the day before hotly-contested City Council elections, the city requested construction bids to be submitted by December 2. Observers familiar with the City of Dunwoody's proposal process say it will be only a matter of weeks before a contract is signed, making the construction of a new park - and the closure of Atlanta's most popular dog park - inevitable.
Citizens who claim they have been infuriated by unnecessary spending of tax dollars have expressed outrage and frustration in letters to the editor, petitions, standing-room-only community meetings, countless e-mails and more - thus far to no avail. So Brook Run Dog Park's faithful will rally on Tuesday November 12, still hoping "every dog has his day."
