To the Editor:
My wife and I have recently moved to Tryon and we enjoy Harmon Field as a place to walk and to view some of the beauty of this area.
Although we do not own a dog, we do support the idea of a dog park at Harmon Field.
One of the things we have noticed is that a number of dog owners choose to ignore the town ordinance related to keeping their dogs on a leash and having a dog park would help the situation.
About six weeks ago we were enjoying our walk when my legs were attacked by two small terriers that were being allowed to run loose by their owners. Thankfully, I was wearing long pants so the damage was minimal.
The dogs’ owners apologized and insisted that the dogs had never done that before. I pointed out that the situation would not have happened had they been obeying the law.
In an article in today’s Bulletin related to the dog park, George Alley, the Harmon Field supervisor, stated that dog owners are the biggest users of the park. I would respectfully disagree with that statement.
Many dog owners make use of the park, but they are not the biggest users. We walked earlier today along with about 10 other people and there was not a dog in sight.
Finally, I have observed that it is not unusual to see parents allowing their children to ride bicycles on the circular track even though there are signs posted prohibiting the use of bikes, skate boards and the like. I would suggest that the town might instruct the police department to check the park on a regular basis.
Without ongoing enforcement the town opens itself up for lawsuits should someone be injured because people choose to ignore the posted ordinances and rules.
– John Roberts, Tryom