Committee of the Whole Meeting Discusses Happy Tails Dog Park Relocation - September 16, 2025
Committee of the Whole Meeting – September 16, 2025
The Oswego Village Board held a Committee of the Whole meeting on September 16, 2025, at 6:00 PM to discuss the relocation of the Happy Tails Dog Park following its closure on September 1. Staff presented survey data, cost savings from salvaged materials, and three potential interim locations. The board ultimately directed staff to pursue the Hunt Club site and to make the dog park free of charge.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public addressed the board during the public forum.
Discussion Items
- Happy Tails Dog Park Update (presented by Alejandro):
- Survey results (50 respondents) showed 84% positive views, 50% willing to travel under 10 minutes, 30% up to 15 minutes, and 43% owning medium/large dogs. Preferred location: close to existing site or downtown.
- Average daily usage was about six unique users (based on 90-day swipe data).
- Staff salvaged approximately $58,000 in assets (fencing, access system, fountain, agility equipment, shade sails).
- The Oswego Park District declined to partner on a dog park and plans its own at Grand Park in Plainfield in 3–5 years.
- Three candidate locations: Hunt Club (9 acres, but needs parking and utility connections), Venue 1012 (2 acres, existing parking, but near train tracks and no internet/power), and Police Department (2 acres, centrally located, but conflicts with future evidence garage and parking).
- Board discussion:
- Trustees expressed concerns about each site: Hunt Club faces neighborhood opposition and requires tree nursery relocation; Venue 1012 is small and may conflict with events; Police Department may be temporary if police expand.
- Trustee Koenig favored the Police Department for centrality but acknowledged its temporary nature.
- Trustee Hughes supported Hunt Club for its size and permanence, noting it is a 5-minute drive from the original location.
- Trustee McCarthy Lang preferred Venue 1012 for its existing parking and proximity to restaurants.
- Trustee Novi noted Hunt Club offers the most options for future expansion and is likely the most permanent.
- Discussion on fees: Trustees Jen, Hughes, McCarthy Lang, and Koenig advocated for a free dog park (no annual fee), arguing surrounding communities do not charge and it is a public amenity. They agreed that safety concerns (e.g., vaccination records) are minimal and that a registration/swipe system adds staff burden. The consensus was to eliminate the fee and not require swipe access.
- Cost estimates for a two-acre dog park at Hunt Club: approximately $60,000 for fencing and minimal improvements; with ADA compliance and parking, $75,000–$80,000; if expanded to three acres, up to $100,000. Board asked staff to refine costs for the October budget workshop.
Key Outcomes
- Location Selection: The board directed staff to proceed with the Hunt Club site as the preferred interim (and potentially permanent) dog park location, pending detailed site analysis.
- Fee Policy: The board agreed to make the dog park free of charge to all users, removing the previous $30–$40 annual registration fee. No swipe or registration system will be implemented.
- Next Steps: Staff will develop a site-specific layout, refine cost estimates (including parking, ADA compliance, and possible tree relocation), and return to the board at the October 25 budget workshop with a detailed proposal and necessary agreements.
- The meeting adjourned at 6:52 PM, with the regular board meeting to follow at 7:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Please. President Kaufman. Here. Trustee Cooper. Here. Trustee Hughes. Here. Trustee Koenig. Here. Trustee McCarthy Lang. Here. Trustee Novi. Here. Trustee Torres. Here. All right. We're going to call the uh public. Well, open the public forum, excuse me. If there's anybody wishing to address the public or the board, please feel free to step forward now. Seeing nobody, we will close the public forum and move on to old business. Under new business, we have uh the happy dog happy tales dog park update. Alejandro. Come on down, sir. Welcome. Good evening, President Kaufman, Village Trustees, Village Administrators Dan and Jean, and Director Kurt. Thank you all for the opportunity to speak with you this evening. All right, so we have the Happy Tales Dog Park update. Our update this evening follows our previous committee of the whole meeting on June 24th. Um I will quickly highlight some of the summaries from the unleashing insights, Happy Tales Dog report, current updates through today, and we'll wrap up uh with any questions that the board may have. And ultimately, uh staff is seeking board direction on the preferred interim dog park location and salvage operations. Uh pending the decision tonight, staff at a future date uh will return with any kind of site specific layout plans, any refined costs, and any necessary agreements. All right, unleash and insights. Following the board's guidance, uh, village staff, um, including our village administrator, the chief financial officer, assistant to the village administrator, our GIS specialists, forestry technician, and more, all compiled financial data, access usage swipe data, survey data, and more that was analyzed to compile this unleashing insights report. Moreover, staff wants to thank all the 50 various uh active registered dog park uh residents who participated in an additional survey in order to get this information for you all. Um it focused on the Happy Tales categories, including enjoyed aspects, suggestions for improvement, and preferred location. All right, digging into a 90-day look back, a swipe entry data that ended June 23rd, uh the Happy Tales averaged just over six unique users on average per day. Those counts and graphs can be found on page five of the report, followed by a mapping of all registered dog park users. Quantitative kind of quantitatively, 84% of surveyed participants expressed a positive view of the park site. The survey inquired about the residents' willingness to travel, with uh 50% of the results indicating willingness to travel under 10 minutes, and an additional 30% of responses indicating a willingness to travel up to 15 minutes. Many of the respondents, about 43 percent, own medium to large dogs, which are about 26 to 50 pounds and 51 to 75 plus pounds, respectively. Our open-ended questions provided an opportunity to uncover valuable insights in the residents' thoughts, feelings, and expectations regarding the Happy Tales Dog Park. Again, across the three core categories, aspects of the current park enjoyed most, preferred location for the new park, and suggestions for improvement. Overall, residents enjoyed the natural qualities, the closeness to home, and room to run. The preferred location focused on somewhere close to the existing Happy Tales location or nearby or even downtown. Suggestions for improvement, including adding more shade, more benches, and more water. Word clouds are shown for each of these categories on pages seven and eight. All right, our current update. After unleashing those insights, here we are today. Happy Tales Dog Park was closed as of September 1st. Staff's removal and asset salvage plan is well underway.
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