Azalea Dog Park used to be a wonderful park, a great place to take your dog and meet nice people. No more. Now, it is a muddy mess, a potential health hazard, full of holes and broken fences.
I have contacted the office of Mark Halstead in Asheville Parks & Recreation many times over the last year to express my concerns. He has repeatedly assured me that improvements were on the way. Those improvements have not manifested.
Because the park is in a flood zone, a permanent fix may indeed be difficult. But in the meantime, surely something could be done to make the park usable.
I would like to encourage others who share this concern to contact Mr. Halstead’s office (828-251-4024 or mhalstead@ashevillenc.gov) or the mayor’s office (828-259-5600 or esthermanheimer@avlcouncil.com).
— Patrick Boland
Asheville
Editor’s note: This letter and the following response were published in the print issue of Xpress prior to the latest round of rain threatening property along local waterways.
Xpress contacted the city of Asheville with the letter writer’s concerns and received the following response from communication specialist Polly McDaniel: “We appreciate that the dog park at Azalea is a much-loved spot for our furry friends and their people. Unfortunately, the dog park has flooded multiple times over the last year, just like other properties along the Swannanoa River corridor. It’s taken city staff longer than we’d like, but repairs have been made, and the dog park is open and ready for business. We have some other improvements planned for 2019 that will make it an even nicer place to visit.”
LOL the timing of this is hilarious.
First world problems.
Now that changes have been made, its far from improvement. The park is smaller, the middle run is gone, the gazebo is gone, dogs and owners are unhappy. Bring the middle run and gazebo back!!!!