Purgatory Park Master Plan

Thanks to the Park Board for what seems to be a sensible “Draft” Master plan. I’ve used the park daily for over12 years and love spending time there with my dogs.
I spent a great deal of time studying overall comments section of the plan. This is where you can really get to the heart of the issues that are causing so much friction in the community. Folks that take time to write a few sentences or a paragraph can tell you so much more than a count of checked boxes to various questions.
There were a few hundred comments specifically about the off-leash dog experience and issues surrounding that topic. It was very Illuminating for me to see overwhelmingly positive comments about the off-leash areas.
There were certainly many folks on the opposite side of that. But still an overwhelming majority of comments were positive for the off-leash environment. I’d estimate 5 to 1 in favor of the off-leash area!
I also studied the negatives- of which there were a few dozen- and 90% of those comments were about dogs being off leash on the paved trails.
Its seems clear to me that if there were just compliance to the current rules- 99% of park users would be happy campers!.
The current problem of unleashed dogs being where they shouldn’t be is due to poor signage/no signage (all seemed in agreement here) and non-existent enforcement. New signage will help the ignorant but won’t fix those users that just do not care. There are no repercussions or consequences for the small minority of folks that are flaunting the rules and ruining it for ALL park users. For those- there needs to be fines.
The Off Leash issue has gone on for a decade or more. We just need better signage on the path, and at more places on the path, and we need consequences for those that do not abide.
I suggest bringing in the mobile illuminated signs like used in the past with a message- "Current Leash/ Off-Leash Rules will be Enforced!- Effective Immediately! "…and then start levying fines.
The divisive and critical issue of Safety for park users can be quickly resolved.
Greg Johnson

I have strong feelings and opinions regarding the changes related to the off leash dog privileges at purgatory park. I am here to show my support so that my dog and I do not lose our right to walk freely and happily as I've done for over 30 years at this park, without incident. We do not support any changes to the off leash areas and do not support a fenced in dog park. The community of like minded people I've met and shared many hours of walking with our dogs is something I can't lose. Please hear us, your survey didn't reach the majority of people that use the park year round, regardless of the weather. We all "police" each other and let others know when they aren't following the ordinances in place. The problems people cite are the exception, not the rule.

I am a long-term Minnetonka resident. I am also a long-term dog owner and promoter of how animal ownership enriches our community. I no longer go to Purgatory Park because my leashed 75-pound dog is highly stressed and reactive to off-leash dogs running up to him. As a 73-year-old woman, I find it increasingly dangerous to risk such encounters. While I understand the need of large dogs and their owners for expansive areas to exercise and socialize their dogs, an unfenced area will never allow everyone to share this beautiful area. Please continue to consider how to allow for fenced and open areas so everyone can enjoy the beauty of our parks. I commend the city for working on this master plan and encourage dog owners to help make ongoing efforts successful. The basic rules of picking up after your dog and leashing where signage indicates can go a long way toward finding solutions for all to enjoy the park.

I really wish for the dog park area to remain as is. The community uses the space and it’s an amazing set up.

I have several comments I would like to make about the preliminary plan for off-lease dogs at Purgatory Parks as presented at the 2/6/2024 Parks Board meeting. Where I refer to the "central" part of the park, I am referring to the area bounded by the perimeter trail north of Stodola Road and south of the main parking lot.

All discussions about dogs in Purgatory Park seem to center on the same four problems:

1. Unleashed dogs are straying onto private property most notably in the neighborhood of Nantucket Place.
2. Unleashed dogs are in conflict with users of the perimeter trail most notably in the vicinity of the Scenic Heights Elementary School. This problem is particularly acute for dog owners exercising their own dog(s) on a leash.
3. Dog owners excising their dogs off-lease are damaging the natural habitat.
4. Dog owners are not leashing their dogs in the parking lot.

The plan as presented at the meeting has two elements:

1. Restrict dog owners who wish to exercise their dogs off-lease to an approximately 14 acre area on the east side the central part of the park adjacent to Nantucket Place and the Scenic Heights Elementary School.
2. The remainder of the central area of the Park will be closed to the public.

I am having trouble reconciling the plan with the issues. I cannot see how the plan can do anything but make the problems worse. Why does the plan concentrate dog owners who wish to exercise their dogs off-leash, who are currently free to roam in most of Purgatory Park, into the very area where the problems are most acute? What problem is this plan attempting to address?

Will someone please enlighten me.

I think it would be purdent to ask all residents in city of Minnetonka if they would support "population control measures" for the Wild Turkeys, to be managed with the DNR.

Edina is one of the many cities with a successful population control plan for the wild turkeys, a plan that has been successful in controlling the growth of this population.
Please let me know if I should be looking at other avenues to get such a plan implemented. A survey would be the best first step though. How do I create one?

In order to hear from everyone in Minnetonka regarding Purgatory Park it would be my recommendation that you send out a survey asking the people in Minnetonka if they would like to leave the park open as is or if they would prefer to have a fenced in dog park.

The dogs love being able to run around in the woods. It would be a shame to fence them in.

Virginia

Reply to Arborist.
I understand your concern about the impacts of tree disease. However, the traditional forestry lens is often misplaced as it's based upon a outdated model supported by an era of fire suppression, a focus on tree disease management, forest succession, and planting trees in systems resulting in afforestation and the ultimate demise of overall diversity. The efforts to restore the park are based upon a systems model, fire ecology, and climate resiliency. I respectfully encourage you to get some CEUs and explore the emerging fire ecology science to better understand the goals of the restoration work in the park. I can assure you that the park is not depauperate, the mosaic of habitat types support a wide diversity of flora and fauna and, in my opinion, is worth conserving and enhancing through restoration efforts. Failed efforts of the past have been largely based on a forestry view of invasive plant management.

(This comes from a U of MN forestry grad & Certified Arborist who lives in Mtka & has used Purgatory for 25 years.) No offense intended because I know how much work is going into maintaining the park. It is very evident. But the forest is very degraded with very little habitat or food for wildlife because of all the buckthorn. The Oaks are very old and decaying & failing. The native Elms are gone, the Oaks are succumbing to Oak Wilt, Bur Oak Blight, and now the Ash trees are being decimated by EAB. The only young trees volunteering are almost all Ash. There are very few Maple, Basswood, or Hackberry. The goal of restoring the park to a natural state of yesteryears is really a futile dream. Buckthorn & other invasives arent going away. The highest use of the park is really one where people can go for a walk in some solitude and not some kind of highly maintained natural garden. That is the reality of forests within Minnetonka

When we moved to Minnetonka in 2020, we couldn't believe the idyllic nature preserve that is Purgatory Park. There is nothing like it in terms of the opportunity it affords people to connect with nature. That is as much true for furry four-legged friends. The dog owners who frequent the park are very responsible about keeping their pets close and minimizing interactions with others along the paved trails. Negative interactions between dogs & folks along the main trail are quite rare and would be minimized significantly with more prominent signage indicating the expectation that dogs on the main trails be leashed at all times. Should the city wish to erect a fence, it would be necessary only along the boundary between the central pasture area frequented by dogs & their owners on the western main trail near Scenic Heights elementary as incidental contact there is the most likely. Please do not disrupt the incredible natural bounty that this space affords our community.

Keeping the off-leash dog park is more than just about dogs; it's about creating connections and overcoming loneliness in our community. This park has become a place where people come together, forming bonds that might not have happened otherwise. This park isn't just a place for our furry friends; it's a sanctuary where we escape to nature and off-leash exploration, benefiting both humans and dogs alike. I feel that dog owners will be respectful of the rules to have dogs on-leash on paved paths and hope that the other unpaved areas will remain available for people and dogs to roam freely. Changing this space into a fenced in limited area, means taking away a vital source of joy, connection, and the healing power of nature from our community.

The off leash park is an amazing community asset. We are so grateful to have this space in our backyard and open space for our animals.

Please do not take away the off leash because a very small few do not follow the rules.

I believe we as a community can self enforce the rules.

Purgatory dog park / off leash park is such an amazing part of Minnetonka. I would HATE to not be able to go and let my dog play with other dogs while I socialize with other dog owners in the park and explore. Please don’t take away the off leash dog park.

I support keeping the off leash area as is. This is such a gem in the area, it’s great for the dogs and the people to connect and build a community in this way.
If the enforcement is a concern, then require a permit to fund as needed or find a way to solve that problem.

We use the off leash dog park. Our dog is a redbone coonhound who needs the extra space to run off his energy. We have had no problems with dogs being off leash. Please keep off-leash!

We use the off-leash dog park at a min 5 days a week, 12 months a year. We have a GSP, hunting dog, that requires off leash to get his energy out. Our dog loves to sniff and run through the fields. He could care less about people or other dogs so this environment is perfect for him and couldn’t be replicated in a smaller fenced in area. We have experienced zero issues in the park. As a bonus of getting exercise and getting our dog exercise we have made many other friends with other dog owners that we would have not met otherwise. Please keep off-leash. We would be open to having to pay for a permit and have mandatory training to use the park. More signage and better education are options.

I support the preliminary strategies regarding dogs presented by staff but feel a temporary fence is needed to address safety concerns and to protect the restored prairie. The current ordinance in regard to off leash dogs is often ignored and is unenforceable. There is a big safety concern that I've heard from many who want to take a walk in the park and not be accosted by off leash dogs. The park is a designated Preserve with one of the only prairies in Minnetonka. The city and volunteers have spent countless hours restoring the prairie in accordance with the Minnetonka Natural Resources Master Plan. Off leash dogs will lead to further degradation and setting back of efforts.
I am a dog owner and sympathize with the desire to let one's dog run free, This may have worked in the park at one time but for the aforementioned reasons is no longer sustainable. Surrounding cities have dog parks and I think that is the appropriate solution to satisfy those who want their dogs off leash and those that want to experience safety and the natural environment.
Thank you.

Respectfully, we recommend the establishment of a designated, fenced dog park in Purgatory Community Preserve.

Doing so respects the interests of all potential users of this prized community asset.

Such action would also arrest the currently apparent deterioration in parts of Purgatory and establish plans to avoid such deterioration in the future.

Further, such action would replicate the “Dog Park” policies of neighborhood communities and the policy of Hennepin County’s Bryant Lake and Fish Lake Parks.

Without a designated “unleashed” Dog Park, traffic of unleashed dogs could expand over time, impacting the Park, its future renovation and, mostly, the Park experience of many of its users.

James H. Hammill

Sunday was a beautiful day for a walk at Purgatory. It wasn't an original idea as the lot was full of cars as well as cars parked along the side of the entrance road. Many families were walking the trail as well as many dog owners with dogs on a leash. There was a contingent of off-leash dogs and owners congregating in the middle of the long-grass prairie area. We noted the long, wide trail from the parking lot to the creek with an even wider area in the center with no prairie grass. No grass means mud and dirt. This off-leash area detracts from the restoration work that has been going on. I hope the wisdom of protecting our natural resources prevails with consideration for the dog owners who want an off-leash area. Just don't put the off-leash dog park area in the most visible and beautiful spot in the park. The transition can continue to temporarily support the off-leash area but it should have a temporary fence until a suitable dog park area is established.

I am in 100% support of not changing anything at Purgatory Park. It has been this way for over 30 years and any problems now are the exception, not the rule. The city should enforce the rules more if they feel it's such a problem.