We also live across the street from Raymond Park and we have three small children. We spend many hours in Raymond Park year round and my children have learned to walk, climb, scoot and sled there. Setting the dogs aside, I am in favor of fencing in the playground - or putting gates / childproof stiles on all the park entrances - purely from a safety perspective.
Like many other parents of young children - especially those with multiple children - I have often had to chase one of my twins to keep them safely inside the park. On two occasions one of my then <3 year old twins suddenly took off and ran all the way out of the playground and on to the street. I had to abandon the other twin and chase after the escapee. Being pregnant at the time made it very difficult for me to catch them. On the first occasion they fortunately turned at the entrance but ran a good way down Walden Street and would have disappeared into a side street / been hit by a car if it hadn't been for a dog walker coming the other way who caught them and turned them around. On the second occasion I was able to catch them just outside the park entrance. Fortunately the other twin didn't take off in the opposite direction while I was chasing the first. Over a year later I still shudder at the thought of what could have happened if the child had run out into traffic.
We have lived near the Walden / Raymond intersection for fourteen years and have had a front row seat for the many traffic accidents that have happened here. Memorable incidents include the SUV that landed in the hedge with airbags exploded, and the police cruiser that had its bumper ripped off by another vehicle. Earlier this year an adult jogger/pedestrian was hit and seriously injured at the mid-block crosswalk by the park entrance. On a regular basis our sitters or I encounter cars that do not stop at the stop sign or jump the gun without waiting for children who are mid-crosswalk. This is not a safe street - between the traffic and the (imo smaller but significant) risk from off-leash dogs the playground should certainly be completely enclosed.
To my mind the question is not whether a fence and gates should be erected but where they should be erected. There are two other options not on the current poll from the city:
1) put gates / stiles on all park entrances and provide a fenced area for dogs
2) put the fence slightly below the hill's watershed on the playground side of the hill
Option 1 would provide a clear space for dogs away from the playground and playing fields; it should be accompanied by strict enforcement of the leashing requirement. Gates on the playground entrances would address the traffic safety issue (I would prefer turnstiles or a similar solution that couldn't inadvertently be left open).
Option 2 would provide a safe area in the playground while maintaining a good sledding hill, providing access to a gentle slope for children in the playground, and picnic/spectating spots for those focused on the fields. I honestly don't like the cycling / scooting loop at Raymond Park because of the large blind area behind the hill and ability for children to rapidly reach the ungated entrances. A scooting loop is desirable but could be made by encircling the "big kids" side of the playground with a paved track.
In both cases it would be appropriate for the city to erect "no unleashed dogs" signs in the playground, as well as signs forbidding dogs from going into the sand area and wood chips since small children inevitably mouth these. Imo for both health and safety reasons it is not appropriate for unleashed dogs to be in the playground at any time.
Vera
On Oct 30, 2014, at 8:00 AM, Adam Brod wrote:
I live across the street from Raymond Park, and as the father of two young children, I have to chime in and say that I support having a fence. It can be a challenge keeping an eye on two kids playing in different sections of the playground. I would feel much safer if I knew one of them couldn't run off out-of-site over the hill and then into traffic. We also frequently have off-leash dogs in the tot lot and finding little land mines left behind by them isn't uncommon. I'm not aware of any dog biting incidents, but it does make me nervous when an errant dog runs off leash outside the 6-9am windows.
I realize there are compromises to having a fence including shutting off half of the sledding paths, cutting off the bike/scooter circuit, making kids and adults open and close a gate, etc, but in my mind those are all small compared to the safety concerns.