Info & Ways to Help

On April 28, 2022, the Board of Preserve Burnet Woods unanimously voted to approve a resolution against construction of a dog park in Burnet Woods. This resolution follows almost 2 years of discussions amongst the Cincinnati Park Board regarding an initial request from members of the Clifton community to construct a dog park in Dunore Park. It is the feeling of our PBW Board that the decision to construct a dog park in Burnet Woods based on feedback related specifically to Dunore Park without community engagement, without an environmental impact survey, without consideration of those most directly impacted by the decision, with obvious contempt of current park stakeholders by the Park Board, and in disregard of current park needs is an abuse of power and break with the public trust by the Park Board.

WAYS TO HELP

CURRENT EMAIL CAMPAIGNS:

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EMAIL CAMPAIGN – CLICK HERE

This email campaign communicates to the Park Board and members of City Council’s Healthy Neighborhoods Committee that the Park Board has failed to engage the community and conduct due process regarding the proposed dog park in Burnet Woods. The application of feedback from Dunore Park’s dog park proposal to Burnet Woods was made erroneously and evaded best practices in community engagement which offered the community opportunities to express what was most important to them in considering IF or where a dog park may be located, as well as higher priorities for greenspace than a dog park (i.e. accessibility for existing amenities, conservation, habitat preservation, etc.)

CONCERNS ABOUT PFAS/FOREVER CHEMICAL IN PUBLIC PARKS EMAIL CAMPAIGN – CLICK HERE

On January 19, 2023, the Cincinnati Board of Park Commissioners doubled its funding support to $300,000 for the installation of a synthetic turf and concrete dog park in Burnet Woods. The proposed location for the dog park is a natural greenspace with mature trees, clover, and lyreleaf sage which would be, at best, exposed to the ravages of construction, PFAS/forever chemical contamination, heat island creation and soil compaction if this project reaches fruition. This form is an effort to provide voice, via a writing campaign, to those concerned about the introduction of “forever chemicals” into any public greenspace in the City of Cincinnati, and especially into the spaces which are vital to public well-being and to our city’s fight against climate change, namely our city parks and playgrounds. Upon completion of this form, notice will be sent to below listed community leaders with your responses.

You can find a collection of evidence-based research articles on synthetic turf usage and/or dog parks HERE.

Update: On February 14, 2023, City Council’s Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Committee heard presentation on the health risks and contamination risks of PFAS from a panel of experts. Your emails expressing concern about the contaminants in synthetic turf, alongside the information provided by these esteemed researchers, inspired an ordinance PASSED by City Council to get an impact report on PFAS/synthetic turf in the city within the next 90 days (from March 8, 2023) with the intention being to consider what next steps can be taken to mitigate or eliminate unnecessary exposure. It’s imperfect, but it’s progressing in the right direction. YOUR VOICE did that.

We also showed City Council, with over 100 emails submitted to City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee on March 6, 2023, that we’re paying attention to how money is being spent in Parks on unsustainable projects which do not make sense in the framework of the deferred maintenance deficit, chronic understaffing, and long-standing failures to remedy accessibility needs for human dignity. As the City Departments are in the process of presenting their budget requests to City Council, knowing that we’re paying attention to the flow of funds on projects that were OPPOSED by community councils, OPPOSED by volunteers and DID NOT go through a good process is important. (100 emails is a LOT for a City Council issue. You did good there!)