Past events

From DDOG

Contents 1 Past DDOG Events 2 Past Community Activities 3 Meeting Minutes 3.1 December 6, 2007

Past DDOG Events

• Toad Hollow Dog Park opening
• Howl-o-ween

Past Community Activities

• Bark 'n' Splash was held on October 5, 2008. The city of Davis held an afternoon of fun where dogs were allowed to swim and play in the Community Park pool. Bark ‘n Splash began with a scenic walk at 11:30am and finished off with a cool off in the pool and other “tail-waggin” events until 2pm. This family oriented afternoon featured contests, entertainment, food and drink, demonstrations, dog-related vendors and services, and kids activities for the whole family to participate in. Pre-registration began September 2 at the Community Services Department, with on-site registration on the day of the event. The cost was $8 per dog, and human companions were free!

• California Coast & Creek Clean-Up Day was held on September 20, 2008 from 9am-noon. The effort is part of the California Coastal Cleanup day which, includes inland waterways, is meant to focus attention on the marine environment. Each year, more than 40,000 volunteers turn out to police over 400 cleanup sites statewide. In 2008, about a dozen community members helped clean up the area surrounding Toad Hollow as part of the event.

• Picnic Day was held on April 19, 2008. Fundraising is not allowed, but Davis Dog Training Club (DDTC) offered to distribute group literature from their table at the event. Sue Bennett was our point person for this event.

• The Woodland Dog Park held a grand opening ceremony for Woodland residents on March 8, 2008. Lights and water had not yet been installed, so the park closed immediately following the celebration so that workers could complete work on remaining amenities.

Meeting Minutes

December 6, 2007

Toad Hollow

• The City of Davis was able to acquire trees for planting in those areas identified in the Toad Hollow master plan, and provided our group with all the necessary tools. On the morning of Saturday, November 3, several volunteers gathered to plant trees approximately ten new saplings around the park perimeter! We all look forward to the shade that will be provided by these new trees in the future and thank Bob Stephenson at the City of Davis as well as all those who helped with the plantings. Note: Green plant ties were not removed during the plantings, so attendees agreed to take a few minutes to remove these to avoid binding the plants.

• A question was posted to the DDOG list server in October asking about the mowing schedule for Toad Hollow. The question was forwarded to the City of Davis, but no response has been received. Regina offered to follow up with the city.

• Sue noticed that trench work has begun in Toad Hollow. It was speculated that this may be a project to improve drainage.

• All those present commented on traffic dangers near the park entrance. Vehicles driving down Second Street often fail to slow down as park users turn to enter the park. Some possible solutions discussed included rumble strips and speed bumps near the entrance.

• While we are all very appreciative of the bulletin board installed by the city near the park's double lock gate, it's very difficult to attach postings to the plywood and postings are regularly damaged when they are sprayed by park sprinklers. While inconvenient, it was agreed that this was a fairly low priority item that could be pursued after tackling some of our more pressing concerns, such as our non-profit status and other items on the Toad Hollow master plan.

Simmons Estate Visioning Update

• The city held a community meeting on November 13 to update the public on the progress of the Simmons Estate Visioning process. No DDOG members were able to attend the meeting, but meeting notes were shared with attendees. On November 28, a Planning Commission staff report was filed. Regina attended visioning meetings earlier this year, so DDOG concerns were heard, though this visioning process doesn't address details such as future dog facilities. DDOG will monitor progress of this project to see if future opportunities arise.

City of Davis Parks & Recreation Facility Master Plan Update

• Attendees were reminded to complete the master plan survey, if they hadn't already done so. The city will accept comments until 5pm on February 1, but comments posted earlier would receive better consideration during the development phase. Regina shared a timeline for development of the revised master plan and offered a synopsis of the November 14 Recreation and Parks Commission meeting at which this project was discussed. Initially, the consulting agency, Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc. (MIG), was only concerned with the needs of large organized sports groups in Davis. This was a matter of concern for all members of the Recreation & Parks Commission, as well as audience members who represented swimming groups, tennis clubs and DDOG. As a result, DDOG will be included in focus group meetings and Regina offered to be the city's DDOG contact. The timeline also presented some concerns because it shows only two points at which the commission would have an opportunity to review and comment upon the process. Other comments at the meeting brought forth that the revised master plan would include facilities and funding options; MIG was asked to include the possibility of sharing UC Davis resources in its report.

Regional Council of Dog Owner Groups

• Two members of our group, Melody and Tiffany, represented DDOG at the November meeting of this newly established group, which will meet quarterly. RCDOG seeks to establish a consortium of local DOGs (Dog Owner Groups) to establish and meet regional goals. Also represented at the meeting were groups from Natomas, Sacramento, Fair Oaks, Elk Grove, Auburn, Rancho Cordova, Roseville and Citrus Heights. Attendees discussed how the consortium would operate and future goals. Melody and Tiffany will keep us abreast of projects.

Calendar Project

• Chris offered to take over this project from Regina (yay!).

Holiday Thanks for the Poop Patrol

• Sue B suggested that DDOG bake cookies for the city staff who clean and maintain our dog parks throughout the year. Everybody was in support of this suggestion. Sue said she would contact Pat Riley to find out what date would be best to deliver goodies, and where they should be delivered.

Non-profit Filing Update

• Regina shared that our non-profit documents were pretty much complete with the exception of a couple legal details. Pat offered to acquire a post office box for the group so that we will have a consistent address to file with the documents. Nomination for officers will be accepted in February 2008.

DDOG website

• The DDOG website was announced to the group. Members interested in contributing were encouraged to contact Chris Hooke.

Other Items

• Target is expected to open on Second Street in April 2009. It was suggested that the group pursue a relationship with Target because they would probably be looking for opportunities to involve themselves in the local community.

• Several people have been asking about photos from the Toad Hollow Howl-o-ween event. Regina offered to contact Desiree to get the photos.

• Regina asked whether the group should have a regular meeting location. While Pat indicated that she is happy to continue hosting our meetings, Regina asked that the group identify a backup location in the event Pat was unable to host. The group decided that Sudwerk would be a good location because of its proximity to Toad Hollow, the restaurants support of our Howl-o-ween event, and availability of large tables.

• It was suggested that DDOG hold a fundraising dog wash in the spring. The Sudwerk parking lot was floated as a potential location, because patrons could have a beer or appetizers while waiting for their dog to be bathed.