By Mark Howell
Key West City Planner Donald Craig, now working with the city and collaborating with the county to finalize plans for the Higgs Beach redevelopment and its dog park, is a dog man himself.
He has two dogs these days and one of his former dogs, back when the county commission led by Dixie Spehar inaugurated the dog park at White Street and Atlantic Boulevard, won first place for best dog trick.
Currently Don is in discussions with user groups and stakeholders in the proposed redevelopment before presenting a final proposal to the city planning board and the county commission (the county being the owner of Higgs Beach).
He actually began his involvement with changes in the area since before he began his job as city planner, being a member of the original Higgs Beach Committee.
“We are now identifying conflicting ideas,” he told Konk Life this week regarding the status of the changes. Various parties have been asking for more public access to parts of the area, including Indigenous Park, while others have been proposing space for various sports, including a playing field in Indigenous Park. People want more space for children to play and still others are urging more green space as a whole — and also asking for more space for the dog park.
Not all of this input, apparently, has been appreciated by residents local to the area. The mix-and-match discussions, therefore, are still underway.
One suggestion was to move the dog park from its present location on the west side of White Street and locate it in Indigenous Park. But there was “not much positive response to that idea,” says Craig, recalling a public meeting of about 90 people on December 3.
The Higgs Beach master plan involves moving to the north the roadway that leads to the White Street/Atlantic Boulevard T-junction, in other words towards and into the present dog park (thereby reducing the dog park’s size) as well as into the neighboring park space currently used for pick-up games of soccer.
Hence the suggestion to move the dog park to Indigenous Park, says Craig. Space in that park could also provide room for play among children displaced by the playground being moved west of White across the road to the beach side.
Planners are also looking at the idea of a dog beach as a possible outcome of the road realignment. City commissioners Teri Johnston and Tony Yaniz are particularly enthusiastic about this development, says Craig, who has studied dog beaches elsewhere in Florida (there are only 10 or 11 in the entire state).
What’s called the “5A Road Concept,” regarding the repositioning of the roadway, proposes that the road today running alongside Salute Restaurant will be moved north and then across to Indigenous Park, where it will run into Atlantic Boulevard. The boulevard itself will have narrower lanes to slow down traffic.
The wild bird center will move closer to Stevens Street at Atlantic. Indigenous Park will gain new bathrooms and a concession stand. To the east side of today’s bocce lanes are ball courts; some new courts could come to the north of the bocce lanes.
The remaining “passive” 60 percent of Indigenous Park will receive plantings attractive to birds and wildlife. To improve drainage in the park, existing ponds may be enlarged and new ones dug.
As the plans stand at this precise moment in time, the present dog park stays where it is.
Monroe County has allocated $2.5 million for this fiscal year to redevelop its side of the Higgs Beach roadway, including the cost of moving of the road. When the road is moved, the dog park will simply be moved northward, in the same configuration as first agreed upon in 2012.
Between the two plans for the dog park so far decided by both the county and the city, “The county’s is the slightly smaller plan,” concluded Craig.
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The Indigenous Park and existing dog parks (for both large and small dogs) as well as the Wildlife Center should be left as is except for improving the facilities at the Wildlife Center and perhaps making a new trail through the park. The wildlife know this is where they can stop making their journey to and from South America.
There are plenty of spaces available that can be converted into ball fields or current ones enlarged.
Thank you,
Mr. Craig is not a good listener. Despite 2 public meetings, each one doubled in size due to the concern with the staff’s plans, his arrogance trumps any citizen input. First he claimed the Wildlife Center asked to be moved. This is not true. Second, regarding the dog park, no one from the County or the massive dog lover contingency in Key West has asked for any changes. There is an issue with a lack of sports fields. Why not use the Truman Waterfront space to provide playing fields? Why not work with the Monroe County School District to replace the fields at Horace O’Bryant and Glynn Archer that were “lost” to construction? What is lacking from the illustrious Planning Department in Key West is an integrated overall plan for the city that respects wildlife and meets the diverse needs of the community.
We live next to Indigenous Park. It is a beautiful and natural environment. Our neighborhood does not want any changes and have made this clear to Don Craig, the city commissioners and the planning department .Are they listening to the people who pay taxes ??