Local Dog Park Will Relocate to McInnis, Supes Say

At the Marin County Board of Supervisors meeting this morning, San Rafael residents opposed moving a local dog park on Civic Center Drive to McInnis Park as the county continues planning for a new Emergency Operations Facility building.

Supervisors unanimously approved an agreement option for the new building that included moving the interim dog park known as Field of Dogs to McInnis Park after the site is updated to facilitate the pet owners. Once McInnis Park is updated, Field of Dogs will be given a 90-day notice until the park is closed.

“This action is not officially giving a 90-day notice now,” County Administrator Matthew Hymel said. “But we will eventually have a regional dog park instead of an interim one.”

It will take at least one year for the McInnis site to be ready before notifying Field of Dogs, according to Hymel. Until then, the dog park will operate as usual.

Between 300 to 400 people from all over the county visit Field of Dogs every week, according to Maria Collins, secretary to its Board of Directors.

Since Field of Dogs first opened as an interim dog park in 1998, local businesses and volunteers have donated gravel, tractors, equipment and time to maintain the area. Now, Collins worries that people will stop donating due to the threat of closure.

“It’s just hard to get people to care if it’s not going to be around much longer,” she said.

Lainie Press frequents Field of Dogs since she moved to San Rafael a year and half ago.  “Just walking to a place with your dog with nice weather and sitting and seeing the same faces every day, that’s community to me,” she said.

Press worries that moving the park could damage the community of dog walkers who might not travel to McInnis Park with their pets.

A permanent regional dog park at McInnis was part of the initial master plan for the Emergency Operations Facilty and it was always understood that the county would decide what to do with the land, according to Supervisor Susan Adams, who represents San Rafael.

The supervisors have received complaints about how Field of Dogs is not accessible to people with disabilities and a new regional dog park would make sure to meet those requirements, Adams said.

Also, Field of Dogs would not be closed until a new park was built, and “it is not likely that the county has the money to build a dog park at McInnis to make that happen right away,” she said.

Field of Dogs will be holding a membership drive on May 15 at 10 a.m. where people can donate to the park.