It is Monday morning with a day planned to finish the five remaining sports stories before the 5:00 p.m. deadline and a text comes in. “Is the water on at Vets yet?” then another “Did you make sure the food order is ready?” Then a phone call “What do you guys normally do about the padding for the rails on the dugouts?”, then an email about the beer sales. But why?
Veterans Park is my home away from home and has been for 15 years. If there is one thing that I am overly passionate about and protective of, it is that park. Sure, I care about the whole facility, but my primary focus is really about 4.4 acres of land, the baseball field and the open space around it and the batting cages. I am so protective of that space that I have been questioned on my loyalty to that space and my kids. Which would I pick? Well, I stopped to check on something at the park today, but have not seen my kids…
Of course, I am playing around, both of my adult children are busy living their own lives, but they know if push comes to shove, I’m heading to them over the park. Today, they did not need me, so when I went to get lunch, I stopped at Vets first to check on something quick.
It is not uncommon for people to walk, run or bike through the facility. People bring their young drivers out to practice in a safe space, families come out with their loved ones to picnic or play hide and seek at night or work on important papers in the quiet solitude during off peak times. Some people even climb trees and get stuck in them, don’t ask, just know that is a memory I look back on fondly because of the people I was with. But I digress. See, I understand that the Veterans Park Athletic Complex is used for more than just sports, but what I will never understand is how people let their dogs poop wherever and they do not clean it up.
Starting last Saturday, I will spend about 20 hours this week out there, then that jumps to 30-40 hours really soon. I see a lot and I know a lot of the people that bring their pets out there for a walk. Most of them are super cool people and their dogs are even better. Dave, yeah, I am calling you out, Asher is by far my favorite pooch and Dave is my favorite human connected to a pooch. We always spend way more time chatting than my busy schedule allows, but it is worth it. Just the other day, I think I spent five minutes bantering with Asher because he just felt like being vocal about seeing me. It was a riot, and I still smile replaying his howling and “talking” to me. You know when a DOG recognizes your vehicle and then talks to you about whatever is on his mind, you have love for dogs that even they recognize.
Today, on my two-minute stop out there, I saw an older woman with her two dogs. I watched, because I recognized the vehicle from issues before. Sure enough, the dog pooped right in front of the gate to the field. The gate that players walk through to get to the batting cages, the gate that we drive maintenance equipment through to work on the field, yup, that gate. The dog squatted again at two different spots. All three squats were that long squats where dog owners can tell from a distance what the dog is doing.
So, I waited, she stayed in her car until she realized I was watching. Then she got out, double checked to see if I was watching, then went to pick up something in just one of the spots. So, I drove over and introduced myself. That started an argument, and she was doing everything she could to justify letting her dogs poop where people watch a baseball game, or where kids warm up for their own game. She got so aggressive at me introducing myself and letting her know that I volunteered out there a lot, so I have a valid concern, that the conversation escalated over her thinking she was above the law let alone being a decent human.
Well, here you go ma’am. Here is the actual ordinance from the city of Hastings website.
94.05 Animals
Dogs and cats in parks must be restrained pursuant to City Code Section 91.05. However, no animals are allowed on the athletic fields at Veterans Athletic Complex. Park visitors who bring animals into a park must effectively remove from the ground or surface of any park, all fecal material deposited by the animal. Animals shall not be allowed to harass, interfere or disturb other park visitors or damage or destroy park property
FYI, City Code 91.05 is where the leash requirement is explained.
This issue cannot be spelled out more clearly and people need to understand that at any given moment, that space could be used as a practice space for the littlest of kids up to adults. People sit in the weirdest spots to watch games, but it is the view they love and all of the above should be able to do their thing without dog poop being a concern. Honestly, I cannot believe it has come to me having to even write this, yet here we are.
The bottom line is simple. Veterans Park is a lot of things, but a doggie litter box is NOT one of them. Pick up your dog poop. Otherwise, the off-leash dog park is located at the intersection of East Tenth Street and Progress Drive, take your dog to poop there because, while dogs and their well-behaved humans will get all the love from us volunteering out at Vets, irresponsible owners will not.
Now, excuse me, but I need to finish four more sports stories before 5:00 p.m. Have a great week Hastings!