Dear Editor,
The old Lions Club Field at the intersection of Miller, Flint and Orion is up for sale and zoned as commercial/multi-family.
Only one thing could be done with this property to maintain quality of life here in the oft-forgotten fringes of the village. Turn it into a dog park.
It seems feasible since all it would require would be the purchase of the property and a chain-link fence with a gate. Oh, I suppose we could get fancy and throw in a passcard scanner of some sort.
Look outside any given day and you will see there are many dog owners in the village who would love a much closer alternative to Orion Oaks. I’d also bet those folks would be willing to pay annual memberships as a means of financing the park. I don’t know what the asking price is, but I think the village should purchase the property and make this happen. It is a low-cost, high reward proposition, and real estate is never a bad investment.
I don’t even know if it is in the power of the council or village manager to approve such an action, but it sure would send a pro-community message, and would be a much more welcoming site to folks who arrive coming in off Orion Road than a CVS or an apartment complex. Sure, the tax dollars a business might bring in sounds more enticing, but will it really help the overall long-term health of our awesome village?
I see this as a tremendous opportunity to show residents and prospective residents a real commitment to family and community.
–Jeff Aisthorpe