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WHAT WE BELIEVE

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1. The park should be shared so that it is a vibrant gathering spot for local residents. The park should provide amenities for the maximum number and variety of users. Mixed use can and should include:

• Children’s playground

• Off-leash dog training and exercise (DOLA-style)

• Socializing options for people of all ages and mobility 

• Basketball

• Open space for frisbee, ball play, pickup games, and picnics

• Soccer field

2.  In neighborhood parks with limited space, it is possible to find compromise and employ creative solutions, such as time-share and space-share.

3.  A vocal minority of any sort should not be allowed to dictate park usage for the rest of the community.
4.  Aesthetics matter! Interior fencing, if needed, should be minimized and visually pleasing. Keeping the grass should be a priority.

5.  Parking limits should be set surrounding the entire park to discourage DMV employees from parking there all day and blocking park users and impacting neighbors who live across from the park.

6.  We will establish a stewardship program for the community to manage the use and maintenance of the park.
 

 

WHY THIS MATTERS

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History: For decades, the open green space was shared. Dogs were allowed off-leash in the early mornings before 9:00 am and in the evenings after 5:00 pm. The rest of the day the field was free of dogs so people could play frisbee, ball, fly a kite, have a picnic, etc. During soccer season, teams with reservations were given priority over all other activities. Published soccer schedules provided dog owners advance notice that the field would be off-limits so they could make other plans. 

It was a system of co-existence that worked well until the pandemic wreaked havoc on all our lives. People were bereaved, depressed, and out of work. They needed to be outdoors to safely socialize. The park started getting a lot of use and the posted time limits on the dog area were not enforced.

 

Now: Our lives are more or less back to normal. However, there is a vocal minority who want to see all off-leash dogs banned from the park at all hours. They do not appreciate dog activity at the park and would prefer to have the green space reserved for sports. As the Sierra 2 Green survey showed, the neighborhood is highly in favor of continued off-leash use at Sierra 2: 75% of respondents favored an off-leash dog training area at Sierra 2 Green, with 80% of the respondents coming from the Curtis Park neighborhood. 

 

Note: Many cities incorporate “DOLAs” (Dog Off-Leash Areas) into their smaller neighborhood parks. This disperses the impact and allows people to walk to their local park instead of driving. Walking to and from parks gets people meeting and talking. It makes the neighborhood safer and builds community!

 

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Make your voice heard! 

 

• Write our City Council Member, Rick Jennings,  and tell him what the park means to you: rjennings@cityofsacramento.org    

• Write the director of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment, Jackie Beecham, to encourage creative solutions: jbeecham@cityofsacramento.org​

• Stay Informed! If you are a Curtis Park resident, send your name and address (for confirmation purposes) to: sierra2commonground@gmail.com and we will put you on the update list. (Also, let us know if you want a yard sign!)

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