Residents of the who use Railyard Dog Park arrived to find a locked gate and an unwelcome message from park rangers Friday morning.
“They said the park is closed effective immediately due to the park not being cared for by residents,” said Joseph Marrone, who lives in the nearby and takes his dogs to the 19th Avenue and Little Raven Street park “about four times per day.”
Marrone acknowledged that animal waste sometimes collects around the side of the dog park that faces the nearby train tracks, but said it’s not enough to warrant a complete shutdown — especially one that he said occurred without warning.
“I am trying to organize a cleanup tomorrow morning (Aug. 20) from 9-11 a.m. to have the city re-open the park,” he said. “This is an incredibly important staple for the Riverfront Park Community. There are many residents there, including myself, that have moved to that neighborhood specifically because of the dog park. I never would have come here otherwise.”
A city official said a yellow sign had been visible at the entrance of the park for the last two months, as per city rules, contradicting Marrone’s claim that no warning had been posted.
The green-yellow-red rating system “that is used by park staff to monitor and notify users of the condition of the dog park” had indicated since June that the park was in need of attention and was subject to closure if not cleaned by users.
“Once it gets to the point where it’s unsanitary, we have to close it,” said Yolanda Quesada, director of communications for Denver Parks and Recreation.
Dog park users “must dispose of dog feces properly and immediately,” according to . “(The) rating system is determined and monitored by parks staff, and if the designated off-leash area is not kept to the standard expected in the off-leash area, a warning sign will appear. If the area continues to be in poor condition, the off-leash area can be closed by parks staff.”
Marrone, who works in the Denver Tech Center, said he takes his boxer and husky dogs to the park several times a day because it’s safe and self-contained. It’s also easier for his husky to relieve itself when it’s off-leash, he said. He moved to the area in June from Cherry Creek specifically to be close to the park.
The management of Marrone’s Amli building sent a note to other buildings in the Riverfront Community HOA, including The Glass House and Manhattan buildings, asking for help in Saturday’s cleanup, Marrone said. The activity will be supervised by Denver park rangers.
“I was literally in tears this morning when they were putting the lock on this door,” Marrone, 24, said. “Every time I go there, there’s at least five to 10 people there. And in the mornings and just after work, it’s more like 50. If I’d known they were going to shut it down I personally would have spent four hours picking up (waste) by myself. But hopefully we’ll get some more people out there tomorrow morning.”
opened in 2010 with money donated from community organizations and businesses.
