My Plan For Blue Lake Sports Park Dog Parks...Ahem

***as of today, Monday 1st January 2024, I've had to expand this single original post to 3, make that 4 separate posts, that have gone to join the other 3 partially-completed posts in 'Drafts'...and then it's part-way through also morphed into a post about how to quickly, efficiently resolve multiple issues, and all at a very minimal cost utilising multiple existing facilities...given the multiple changes/expansions to posts we'll do our level best to keep it coherent, cheers...

Here's The Thing:...(ooor not The Thing? really? bang outta' the gate, The Thing?-Ed)...Dear Mt Gambier City Council...(oh good gourd 'ere we go-Ed)...or somebody who reads this and has their number, whatevs...Dear MGCC, please do not conduct an alleged 'Public Consultation' specifically about, for example...(doggos?-Ed)...why not, about doggos...don't get all pomp-'n'-sanctimony about listenin' to Ratepayers about doggos and then when Joe Public, for example...(you?-Ed)...why not, when I go to the trouble of attending your alleged 'Public Consultation' and politely, respectfully, intelligently explain what I would like to see happen, for example...(some proper bitumen paths? current paths cleared of dirt/bark/sand/weeds? sand along the fence? some basic repairs/maintenance? a proper shelter that keeps the rain off rather than collects it?-Ed)...all that and so much more, and as told to and/or asked of Council by more than just I...most specifically and repeatedly MGCC was asked to not replace the blown-apart shade-sail structure with another shade-sail...so have your traditional wild guess as to what these geniuses did?...(ooo well it's a toughie isn't it?...I'm gunna' go with my first instinct though, they whacked-up another shade-sail?-Ed)...bingo, but it's not even 'another shade-sail', it's the re-patched original sail...

So dear MGCC, don't table multiple Motions about improving Transparency and Accountability, eg, re-establishing the Committees you've previously cancelled/disbanded so as to avoid keeping appropriate Minutes, etc...and then reject/vote-down those Motions...(therefore avoiding the aforementioned Transparency and Accountability-Ed)...exactly, and I spent 2 excruciating hours at that specific MGCC meeting...disgraceful...'Secrecy' is why Council disbanded those Committees and it's why they refuse to re-establish them...so, MGCC, please don't do that, let-alone whilst running a parallel gas-lighting campaign about your alleged obsession with 'Public Consultation'...and most especially, don't invite me to give my opinion/advice/experience, pretend to be interested in what I'm saying, then not just ignore me but go and do the exact opposite of what I've just said/asked...don't do those things and then get all precious and faux-offended when people...(like you-Ed)...like me call you incompetent liars...(well actually I think they're every competent liars-Ed)...no no, I meant they're 'Liars' who are, oh, it's a joke, aha, yes, very well done...

MGCC held their alleged 'Public Consultation' re the Hastings Cunningham Reserve Dog Parks then went ahead and did exactly none of the things they have been repeatedly asked to do, but did eventually do exactly the one thing they were repeatedly asked/advised not to.

And this follows-on from the MGCC letter to a dog park user, none of which has happened...(and at almost every juncture MGCC have turned issues into problems and immediately into conflicts-Ed)...as I've said previous, I find it hard to believe that MGCC's actions re HCR Dog Parks and it's patrons are anything less than vindictive and retributional...(well it would rather neatly explain the levels of inaction and/or incompetence we've seen MGCC exhibit on this one very minor issue-Ed)...indeed, it's very frustrating and very, very unnecessary...anyhoos, said my piece 'bout 'Public Consultation'...(the do's and the don'ts, mostly the Dont's-Ed)...on with the blog...

Howdy dear availees...here at TMGI we're having all sorts of fun trying to get all this MGCC/HCR/Dog Park stuff into some semblance of a coherent order...these posts have been started/stopped/started/re-jigged/stopped/etc for over 3 weeks now...regular availees of this 'ere blog will be aware that I have in 2023 tried to unravel myself from TMGI and 'issues' in general, and this is partly why...occasionally we'll just bang-out a post, but usually it's days if not weeks collating/double-triple checking/etc...(which can then lead to all manner of sync problems, as evidenced below, where it's abundantly unclear as to exactly what day we're referring to anymore-Ed)...yeahhh, it gets a bit that way, so's, we've gone through and spread this into multiple posts, and a coupla' already done, and where necessary and/or possible, I'll signpost the sync errors/issues...(well let's g-g-g-go then-Ed)...after you sir...

It is my personal belief that MGCC has been/is deliberately allowing the HCR Dog Parks to fall into disrepair, and that the proof is self-evident in the current dismaying state of disrepair...'cos they're broke? 'cos they want to punish uppity dog park users for questioning Councils' actions/inactions? whatevs, don't really care why, but I believe that Council, as desperately broke as they are, want the dog parks gone from HCR...and even if that's just to cut costs, this re-fuels the bonfires of my concerns about that MGCC 'Closed to Public' meeting from early 2023...(the one titled "Update Hastings Cunningham Reserve Area and Public Housing"?-Ed)...yeah, that one...(and then there's the litany of weasel-worded deceits/denials/dismissals that MGCC has spewed-forth on literally every issue to do with HCR and/or the Dog Parks-Ed)...if they've bothered to respond at all...

Why Mt Gambier Needs At Least Three Dog Parks:...'cos some people have limited transport and/or maybe mobility issues, etc, so they can't drive/walk several kms to get their doggo to park...(obviously this will become an even more urgent issue as Mt Gambier grows and so does the demand for facilities-Ed)...yep...and HCR Dog Parks are great but they're not big enough to meet this demand...(and also that there are always at least 2 available should the third need to be closed for major maintenance, eg, re-sowing the lawns-Ed)...and it's all just sitting there waiting to happen and likely never will...(well there's the cost, however insignificant, where the shreck is a broke/insolvent MGCC gunna' get the funds to come-up with 2 new parks? they can't even afford basic maintenance on the park we've got at HCR!-Ed)...yeah, well, like I said, 'deliberately' can be for more than one reason, eg, Council chooses not to fund/maintain 'cos they've bankrupted Mt Gambier for decades to come and there ain't no money for frivolous follies like dog parks, but they can also be retaliating for perceived and/or actual criticisms...it's pure conjecture, only MGCC truly know why they are behaving the way they are towards the HCR Dog Parks and the people who use, even rely, on those parks...I don't know exactly what land is available where around Mt Gambier, so, 3 parks where I know they could go tomorrow...(1) the current HCR Parks, of course, just expanded...2) the Blue Lake Sports Park (Parkland)...3) the park MGCC promised, in writing, over 2 years ago at Conroe Heights...

(MGCC lists 'Off-Leash Areas' as being the entirety of Hastings Cunningham Reserve, Blue Lake Sports Park (Parkland), Corriedale Park, Northumberland Reserve at the South End of the Blue Lake, and Don McDonell Reserve, which is the big park bit I reckon in Conroe Heights-Ed)...yeah, well, that's all well and groovy, but only one of those is actually a dedicated, securely enclosed area isn't it, and that of course is HCR Dog Parks...(and that's why people use the baseball diamonds/fields at BLSPP-Ed)...it is, so they can run their dogs...(yeah, HCR Dog Parks is great and everything, but it needs to be much bigger and with far less obstacles-Ed)...which MGCC have also had explained to them also as part of their alleged 'Public Consultation' on all matters Petty...(well I and many others don't actually think it's petty at all to care about doggos and/or others and/or their doggos!-Ed)...no I agree, I meant 'Petty' as being all matters relating to pets, as per MGCC's 'Dog and Cat Management Consultation Thingy' what they is allegedly doin'...(oh-Ed)...

Right then, here's that "proposed interim...possible...future" map/plan, again, that MGCC has presented for BLSPP...see y'all below to discuss/dismiss it...    

Personal Responsibility:...is always a given...pet owners, all pet owners, must be responsible for their animals and their animals actions, including especially with environmentally-destructive cats...with dogs that obviously includes controlling your dog around other doggos/people/animals/etc, and regular walking/exercise and picking-up after them...and despite their bests efforts, some hoomans need to provide a safe, wide-open but fenced area...(yeah, and HCR Dog Parks look reasonably big until you get 10-12 dogs belting-around in there-Ed)...exactly, then it's very clear how small and cluttered the site is with various obstacles...(and also some doggos can't handle the crowds when it's busy like that-Ed)...absolutely...some owners have expressed to me their concerns around their doggos interactions with other doggos, especially at busy times, so they try to keep them separate...and on it goes...

Bottomline, doggos are an important part of many people's lives, and most people are trying to do right by their mutt and others around them...(others, others clearly don't give a damn about anyone but themselves-Ed)...indeed, as is 'Human Nature'...(for example, there's one clown who rolls-up at BLSPP with his dogs, gets out, stands there literally watching them crap on everything, then gets in his car and drives-off, leaving his dogs' crap everywhere-Ed)...yeah, 2 people have identified this person to me, but I've yet to run into him...here's hoping...and it only takes a coupla' idiots like this to give MGCC all the ammo they need to denigrate all dog owners as irresponsible...now for this post we're gunna' focus specifically on the BLSPP, then cover some other doggo alternatives/options in the next post...

Do Fence Me In:...('cos I'm a great doggo with super recall, but just occasionally I might just SQUIRREL!!!!!-SSASG)...OI! STOP! OI GET 'ERE!, etc, etc, you get the point...(a 'squirrel' sir?-Ed)...what?...(a 'squirrel' sir? in Australia?-Ed)...ooo, I'm gunna' punch you so 'ard...anyways, I get that it's a little more complicated than just whackin'-up some fences and a decent shelter and a tap, but actually, it also really isn't, it really isn't particularly difficult, especially say at BLSPP...(but surely not the unwieldy and costly "proposed interim future" nonsense that MGCC is pushing, as per above map/plan?-Ed)...no no, we're looking at the corner of Jubilee Hwy and Doule Rd, on that map/plan it's the top right-hand section of BLSPP...(you mean where there is already a large bitumenised, safe, 50 space off-road carpark? just off Dohle Rd there? and 3 entrance gates, etc?-Ed)...why do you insist on making statements of fact but framed as questions?...('cos it really annoys you?-Ed)...touche...anyways, yeah, along Dohle Rd there is already a fantastic carpark immediately adjacent to the main Melbourne/Victoria Jubilee Highway exit/entrance to Mt Gambier...

Yes, But Who Will Think Of The Tourists?...it's a fact 'cos I've had these conversations with visitors/tourists numerous times over recent years, that 1) HCR Dog Parks are great, well at least they were, and 2) they were part of if not actually the reason the people had paused in Mt Gambier rather than somewhere else, albeit whilst on their ways to elsewheres...(and once they've paused they may linger longer, splash some phone app, I mean cash, and even stay a while, maybe even a night or 2-Ed)...and could there be anything more welcoming and engaging of visitors/tourists than their first impression of Mt Gambier being a smartly presented Parkland with top-notch dog park facilities, I mean, right there...(put artworks in the fence and that-Ed)...what?...(like at the Rail Lands and stuff, put flat cut-out sculpture thingies in the fence, something like that-Ed)...sure, great idea...(and maybe a modest but readable 'Welcome to Mt Gambier'-Ed)...whatevs, some tarted-up cyclone wire fencing, relatively very simple and pretty much exactly what Council plans to do anyways with their 'Proposed Interim" and "Proposed Future" Dog Parks as per their map/plan, and the BLSPP gets a basic but much-needed new frontage...... 

The exact configuration can vary, but you could utilise that entire corner and a long section of highway boundary to create extensive dog parks, and not even encroach one inch on the adjacent sports oval...(which apparently doesn't get used that often anyways-Ed)...apparently, but it's a moot point if there's no need to take-up any of that space...(oh yeah, it really only requires some fencing and a coupla' old bus shelter-style seats, and bam! you got ya'self a Dog Park sir, a spanky new Dog Park-Ed)...well you also need a water source...(well the sports grounds have irrigation/sprinklers so there's some sortta' water pipes near there somewhere, and there's toilets, albeit aways across near the hockey club rooms-Ed)...excellent...so we have fences/shelters/water/toilets, next!...

Taking The Lead:...(hang on hang on, many doggos need to run and for various reasons their owners can't, and many doggos are alright or even great with recall/return/etc, but many aren't, and like you've joked, even the best boys and girls can be Fluffy Bunny Pursuit Zombies if the right stimuli happily hops across their path-Ed)...which is why, it would be a perfect excuse to conduct some much-needed nay necessary maintenance/upgrades by replacing that entire section of busted-up useless fence along Jubilee Hwy...(walked it again this morning, why oh why would you put a 1m-high fence with no wire for the bottom foot of it?-Ed)...gourd knows mate, and alongside an 80kph section of Jubilee Highway, with 2 cricket pitches facing exactly that way, it's ludicrous...(and encouraging people to walk their dogs there 'off-leash' is potentially very dangerous-Ed)...yep, but anyway, put a new but standard 6ft cyclone wire fence from the BLSPP entrance off Jubilee Hwy right around to the Dohle Rd carpark with a parallel fence at 20-25m wide and 100-150m long, which would provide a very long run for bigger active dogs, but still leave a whole area of trees at the 'turf cricket pitch' end (top centre right on map/plan)...sorted...

(Ya' know, anybody who hasn't met ya' might be forgiven for thinking that you actually try to research and plan these things, not just chuck abuse at MGCC and a few other poor unfortunates-Ed)...and that's 'cos I do...I've walked that boundary several times and visualised exactly how little needs to be done to build 2 large park areas (big/small) along it, with potentially a very long run for bigger dogs and still plenty of room for a decent-size 'small dog' park...(well if ya' wanna' get fancy, there's plenty of room right along that Dohle Rd boundary fence for potentially a coupla' separate parks/runs for people with problematic dogs and who want to keep their pupper away from other doggos but still exercise it, etc-Ed)...sure, in a context where the perfect facilities already exist, ie, several large enclosed baseball fields, but a handful of dickhead dog owners have managed to thoroughly screw it up for the rest of us by not picking-up their handfuls...

This is from Council’s General Manager Corporate and Regulatory Services Jane Fetherstonhaugh.

“Due to ongoing issues with people not picking up after their dogs, council plans to work with leaseholders at Blue Lake Sports Park to make the sporting precincts off limits to dogs,” she said.

“Instead, we plan to create designated off leash areas and a separate dog park on the site for pet owners.

“In addition, council plans to capture requirements for dog facilities as part of master planning for Hastings Cunningham Reserve, in consultation with users.”

Definitely Not Legal Advice:...but I can't help wondering who exactly is gunna' be responsible if someone is effectively forced by MGCC to stop using the relative safety of the baseball fields and their dog runs out onto the 80kph section of Jubilee Hwy or off along Dohle Rd, etc?...smell smell smell piss smell piss what? SQUIRREL!!!!...and like a rat out of an aqueduct, they're solid gone man...who is going to be responsible if Council forces doggos out of the enclosed areas of the baseball diamonds?...(if I may, devil's advocate and all that, but unfortunately, if/when dog owners are banned from any and/or all of the sports areas, it will be dog owners who are to blame-Ed)...yeah, we've covered that, and many people can walk their doggos off-lead, etc, but many people can't, eg, you can't run a 6-month old puppy off-lead anywhere...(yeah but they still need to run and should be around other doggos as much as possible-Ed)...well, I'm just sayin', when MGCC wants to be so specific and controlling and genuinely intends to ban people from having their pets run safely at BLSPP, then MGCC need to consider the potential safety/legal pitfalls...  

The real beauty of TMGI's Jubilee Hwy/Dohle Rd Dog Parks Plan is that it can be started tomorrow if MGCC wants...you don't need to figure-out anything exact of the dog parks lay-out to start replacing that pointless 1m fence...(which actually runs around into Dohle Rd but 20m short of that carpark, changes to a 6ft cyclone wire fence with those bent-over tops and 3 strands of barbed-wire, and that runs all the way along Dohle Rd-Ed)...yes, it's quite bizarre that barbed-wire bit 'cos 1) there's gates through it, and 2) 20m away you can just step-over the 1m fence...(anyways, that whole section of fencing needs minor repairs and it'd be preferable to re-fence that whole carpark with something a little less intimidating, but it's otherwise fine, and the Jubilee Hwy refurbishment can be started/completed while the dog park plans are drawn-up/finalised-Ed)...it is literally as complicated as doing the fencing, with a mind to where your water access is, then doing some minor plumbing and whack-in some shelters...put a proper disability-access graded bitumen path from the carpark, etc... 

(Just quickly, there's been lotsa' that stuff comin' outta' MGCC, lotsa' subliminal and not so subtle denigration of 'irresponsible dog owners and poorly behaved dogs'-Ed)...yes, as though it's freakin' HCR Thunderdome out there...(and there are clearly irresponsible dog owners leaving their doggos' crap layin' about, but you'd be forgiven for thinking that out at BLSPP stout young yeomen are having to piggy-back elderly peasant women to safety through raging torrents of liquid turd-Ed)...a slight exaggeration, but we all get the picture...just thinkin', I haven't seen a proper set-too at dog park for probably 2 years...(yes well, you did promise to behave yourself didn't you?-Ed)...hilarious...I've seen a dozen times where dogs do that parallel snarl bark 'respect my authority' stuff, my dog included, we covered that in the previous post I reckon...there have been incidents, and no doubt, there will be in the future, eg, I know of one dog that isn't de-sexed and all the male dogs are arcing-up to him and that dog has been bitten twice...(so's, just exactly like people then?-Ed)...I think that's probably where they learn it from, yes, from their hoomans...(ooo, and there was that snake bite a coupla' weeks back-Ed)...and indeed Ed, which brings us directly to...

Shedding The Skin In The Game:...which on that day just over 3 weeks ago was, yet again, me and my mutt Gassie...(named I'm sure for the classic tv hound 'Lassie'-Ed)...if you like, sure, and we were, along with 5-6 other doggos and their hoomans, in the Big Dog Park, when a lady abruptly left...we sortta' noticed 'cos it was kinda' unusual, but what no-one realised at the time was that the dog was already very sick, and the owner took it straight to the vets...long story short, dog returned a 'positive indicator' to one of several tests for snakebite, and anti-venom was given...now I was initially very sceptical...(not least of all 'cos we were there and no-one saw a snake-Ed)...indeed, but with the weeds/grass 4-6 inches deep across the park, there coulda' been a dozen snakes in there...so I've waited until I've spoken to the owner, and having heard the dogs' symptoms, the vets response, etc, it appears that indeed the dog was bitten by a snake...don't know to what degree MGCC has been informed, but it was/is all over local social media apparently...(yeah, that's where I first learned of it-Ed)...and this is a hopefully very rare but still perfect example of why proper actual maintenance is required...

And yes a dog was hurt in the making of that last paragraph and all concerned nervously laugh about it now the doggo is 100% and tearin' it up back at dog park...point being, the very minimal, basic maintenance that MGCC should be doing is to keep what remains of that actual grass and the extensive clover and weed infestations at a suitable height, say, 2 inches max...(and obviously given the wet/hot/cold/wet/hot weather we've been having these past several months, mowing needs to be done far more often than during Winter-Ed)...indeed...and snakes are inevitable in Australia, literally anywhere, (everybody together now) that's why we take precautions...(like keeping the lawn mowed as short as possible-Ed)...my point exactly, when poor maintenance means the grass is so long there's a snake in the park and no-one sees it, then it is an issue of Council responsibility...

I was also in HCR Dog Park yesterday morning, the grass was mowed earlier last week but it's already 3-5 inches across the park and there's foot-high weeds along parts of the fenceline where a large snake could easily be concealed...like several others, I've taken to walking the boundary fence when I first get there and kickin' the weeds, etc, but didn't yesterday 'cos there were already multiple dogs there...

Gunna' just randomly pull stumps here 'cos this gettin' long and the next post sortta' continues on from this point...(and which precious stooge from Council was mouthin'-off about walkin' their dog off-leash wherevs whenevs they feel like it-Ed)...yeah, I think there was words exchanged between the Mt Gambier and Districts Residents And Ratepayers Association and Council on that, and I reckon it was Cr Max Bruin... 

Tomorrow: More Good Boys And Girls, Yes They Are

No outro today, too tired, too annoyed, too sad, et tu dear availee?...with the state a' the world, dog park minutiae is personally very cathartic...(and I mean, how happy was that other mad pupper to see Seepin' Sack A' Satanic Gasses rock-up to dog park-Ed)...absolutely, doggos clearly form bonds with each other and need to be able to do that in a safe environment, and decently maintained enclosed dog parks are the simple solution...(so why is it all so hard?-Ed)...nah nah nah, next post mate...(fair enough-Ed)...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...