Community Letter, from Frank Staroba

On August 15, Captain Kevin Cusick of the Metropolitan Police Department Second District stated in an email to me, “We will give Hardy Park special attention and officers will enforce the District of Columbia leash law accordingly.” Cusick’s announcement was prompted by my news that a dog off leash in Hardy had knocked down a senior, who suffered a broken shoulder. The Captain continued, “All residents should be able to enjoy the park free from the risk of being injured by unleashed dogs.”

As a member of the boards of FCCA and Friends of Hardy, I am in the curious position of informing the police as a representative of these two organizations and also pushing personally for enforcement because my wife, Arden, is the injured senior. She is three weeks into a very painful recovery from a broken shoulder and seriously bruised elbow and wrist. Our lives have been turned upside down by this event, and the dog walker has not come forward.

My wife is not the only one who has been harmed. John Bray, a Foxhall Village resident, informed me that his son was bitten by a dog at Hardy Park in September 2016.

Some effective action must be taken to address this dangerous problem. At Captain Cusick’s direction, Officer Anthony McElwee is organizing an enforcement schedule to cover key times of dog activity. Tickets for off-leash dogs begin at $25 for the first offense, and go up to $50 and $100 for the second and third. McElwee points out that paying such a minimal fine is admitting guilt of a crime and puts that crime on the person’s permanent record. Ticketed residents must also appear at the Second District station and possibly in court.

According to police, part of the problem has been inconsistent signs. FCCA and Friends of Hardy are working with Department of General Services to install new signs that will make the rules clear. No dogs on the playing field or in any of the play lots or courts at any time; dogs on leash only in the paved areas. This is the regulation, according to Karla Kelly, DPR’s recreational supervisor for our area.

As part of our efforts to address the situation, we are also working with Peter Nohrden, DGS director of capital projects, to develop a renovation design for Hardy. According to Nohrden, public meetings have shown a split between those who favor a dog park and those who don’t. DGS is currently hiring a design/engineering firm to prepare two preliminary plans to be ready as soon as October for public consideration, one with a dog park and one without.

Until the chosen design is built – possibly by fall of 2019 – it is essential to public health and safety that we all cooperate to keep dogs out of Hardy except on leash in the paved areas. This will require a complete turn-around for owners and walkers to change our long-standing dog park culture. If owners and non-owners alike cooperate in communicating to enforce the law, we can make Hardy safe for everyone.

DPR points out that there are twelve dog parks in the District open to anyone. They provide enclosed space to exercise dogs off-leash. See the brochure available at the Hardy rec center or on the DPR website for details.

(Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Foxhall News, the newsletter of the Foxhall Community Citizens Association.)