Dog walker ruled out from upgraded park
Val Jenness is the unintentional victim of a change of rules that makes it hard for her to enjoy Avalon Park.
Hutt City Council recently spent $3.7 million upgrading the playground to make it a regional attraction for children and their families.
Jenness, who has a severe back injury, walks her dog Teddy in the park daily.
Because of her disability, her preferred route uses the concrete paths that now run through the park.
In 2013, city councillors agreed to make most of the park dog-free after animal control manager Les Dalton argued that dogs and children were a bad mix
Recently signs went up banning dogs from all but the northern end of the park.
Jenness lives near the southern end and is now effectively blocked from using the park. Even worse, the toilets are in the area she can no longer access.
Although she understands why the council is keen to keep children and dogs separate, Jenness believes the rules have to be more flexible.
‘‘I just feel there should be some common sense applied here.’’
Jenness rescued Teddy from the pound and taking him for a walk everyday helps her back.
‘‘He is my companion dog. He gives me an excuse to get out of the house,’’ Jenness said.
Ratepayers paid for the park and Jenness believed it was unfair that a large group of people, dog owners, could no longer use it.
Jenness has an ally in parks manager Bruce Hodgins, who promised to review the bylaw, which councillors signed off in March 2013.
‘‘It seems to me that there is an opportunity to reconsider, now that we have a pathway network.
‘‘We want to encourage people to use the park,’’ Hodgins said.
When the bylaw was adopted, the network of paths had not been envisaged.
Hodgins said Jenness had raised a ‘‘reasonable’’ issue that needed looking at.
Jenness did not want to get caught up in a squabble between dog owners and those who wanted dogs banned.
She did not take her dog near the playground and her main concern was that she had effectively been stopped from using the park.