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Notes from a telephone conversation with Kit Staples, 3105 Lincoln St, on 8/3/92, 10:30 a.m. She was responding to the latest mailing describing the change in the Morse Ranch Park off -leash area were are about to fence. Kit felt the city was reneging on the compromise plan. She disputed the position staff stated about the reduced impact because of the Amazon Park off -leash site being created. She claimed that there were at least 100 dogs a day using the park, but ad- mitted that it was an estimate, not a count. Since, she was going to use comments I was making in a letter to the city council, I told her that I had made a point of going by the park after hours (between 5:00 and 8:30 p.m.) and on sunny days had seen between 0 and 6 dogs. I had also seen a couple dogs -on leash away from the park being walked to and from, and presumed they could be included in any counts. Another neighbor, who frequents the park regularly, reported one evening he had seen 9 dogs. There are always more pelple than dogs. I explained that we were continually responding to public comment, and that part of the compromise remaining was to fence the creek for it's protection. Kit commented that they wanted to see part of the pasture remain free for people to run around in without having to worry about where they stepped. She complained about dogs off -leash in the woods, and correlated that with dog droppings she has seen in that area. (Ed. comment: presumably droppings along the trail might more likely be from an on -leash dog.) She felt there would be an impact on the whole pasture, so far as wear and tear is concerned. I explained we had received comment that it would be less overall if it were distributed over the entire pasture. In any case, I said that we would be monitoring the situation, and repeated a previous statement - -that we would have a temporary closure if the area suffered from overuse. I shared an opinion that some adjacent neighbors are supportive of what is going on, and that a new neighbor to their south had actually purchased the house because of the off -leash aspect of the park. Kit said that even though there may only be one dog at a time, there is a cumulative negative effect, both in terms of wear and tear on the park, and impact on the neighbors. She admitted that people had brought dogs to the park for illegal off -leash usage prior to the official provision for it. The main point she continued to stress was that we should not just consider the majority opinion, which is a statement I made in the public hearing. (At this point, Kit Staples and her husband, Paul Rabis, are the minority when considering adjacent neighbor impact. Numerous others object in principle, particularly those responding from elsewhere in the state.) Having heard good arguments for allowing off -leash over the whole pasture, my own feeling is that we should go with that plan for now, and monitor and perhaps quantify the impact going into the winter to see if objectionable degradation occurs. Better decisions will require better information.) Later that day: Being present at the site from approximately 12:55 p.m. to 1:50p.m. two staff people observed no people present with dogs. One dog was running at large in the woods near 31st and Lincoln, and seemed to be related to 3 kids playing around that intersection. After our measurement we strolled around the park, and visually surveyed over an acre. In close -mowed grass, we spotted 5 droppings. In our fence line measurements we had an opportunity to view another 1/4 acre, and noticed 2 droppings.