No, That’s Not a Dog Park Going Up at Kidd Springs

(Staff Photo: Chris McGathey)

Those of us who frequently use Kidd Springs Park — the dog walkers, joggers, and the icky couples who take over the parking lot after sunset — might have noticed that a sliver of turf near the basketball court has been cordoned off by a chain-link fence since last Monday.

I suspected this section might become a sandbox for kids or an area for canine companions. I checked in with April Garcia, the manager of Kidd Springs Recreation Center, and wasn’t thrilled by her answer.

“It’s definitely not an amenity. It’s a simple safety precaution,” she said. “Everyone thinks it’s a dog park.”

Apparently, the fence is blocking off some serious erosion that occurred right above a corroded storm pipe. The soft ground has become an obvious problem, Garcia said, and had been making the groundskeepers nervous for quite a while now. The fence will stay in place until the city secures money to fix the pipe, but don’t hold your breath. Garcia said city officials have told her there’s no allowance for it in this year’s budget.

By Rick Lopez Feb. 11, 2013 | 4:01 pm | 5 Comments | Comments RSS
5 comments to "No, That's Not a Dog Park Going Up at Kidd Springs"
  1. David Jennings @ February 11, 2013 at 4:28 pm
    So, it’s cheaper to put up a 100 yards (my guesstimation) of ugly chain-link fence, than to just fix the pipe?

    I think there should be laws about visual-pollution that are enforced like noise-pollution laws. The first item on the list should be CHAIN LINK fencing.

  2. Robbie C @ February 11, 2013 at 4:31 pm
    No money to fix the problem but they had money to put up an ugly fence?

  3. Wylie H. @ February 11, 2013 at 6:24 pm
    Mary Suhm is slowly running this city into the ground with her misplaced priorities.

  4. AG @ February 11, 2013 at 7:05 pm
    Great example of where the City falls terribly short in Oak Cliff. There is money for a pocket park and useless “gateway” to BAD at the intersection of Zang and W. Davis but no $$ for ensuring safety and avoiding UGLY at Kidd Springs. What the heck is wrong with this picture???

  5. Havlová @ February 11, 2013 at 8:12 pm
    So this is the caliber of the social ills Oak Cliff must face? You guys must be doing pretty well if a major concern is that the park fencing is too ugly.

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