To the Editor:
Since I moved back home to Tryon in 2009, after too many years elsewhere, I have wished that Tryon had a fenced-in dog park where my two dogs and I could socialize, just as horse lovers have places to meet and greet.
Harmon Field is the logical place since so many people already walk dogs there on a leash. Leashed dogs are more aggressive. Unleashed dogs are endangered by cars, as well as illegal. How great it would be if we could let our dogs run and play in a safer environment!
I spoke with George Alley, superintendent of Harmon Field, and he suggested I circulate a petition, help form a group of like-minded people and make a well-thought-out proposal to the Harmon Field board of supervisors.
I attended the December meeting of the Harmon Field board, and the idea has been put on the agenda for January.
There’s not much time to develop the proposal, and your help is needed!
I’m proposing that the park be located at the eastern end of Harmon Field, between Harmon Field Road and the Pacolet River, where there is already a parking lot, a fenced-in utility area and an unused grassy field closest to Hwy. 108, easily accessible for dog owners who can’t walk far.
I am currently researching other dog parks and hope to have a concrete proposal ready for the Harmon Field Association on Jan. 2, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. at the Harmon Field Log Cabin. You are invited to be there.
Your energy is also needed – in collecting signatures, helping to design the park, fundraising and perhaps other ideas which you might suggest. If you can’t attend the meeting, I’m asking that all petitions and written or oral suggestions be sent to me by Dec. 28, to be sure I get them all before the meeting. If you can help, please contact me: Ellen Thomas, P.O. Box 26, Tryon, N.C. 28782.
You can also call me at 828-859-8325 or email me at et@prop1.org.
– Ellen Thomas, Tryon