Vote for Dawson Park in UK Best Parks Awards 2015

Dawson Park has been nominated in the UK Best Parks Awards 2015.

Online voting runs until 5pm on Wednesday 25th November 2015. The winning park will be announced at the Fields in Trust Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 2nd December.

You can find the link to vote for Dawson Park at:
http://www.fieldsintrust.org/bestpark/nominations

Dawson Park was funded by a bequest in 1940 from Mr William Dawson of Broughty Ferry, 'for the purpose of providing playing fields, sports ground and other recreational facilities'. The ground was purchased from the Douglas and Angus Estate in 1949, and the park was opened in the mid 1950's.

As well been a very well used public park, Dawson Park hosts Grove Academy for its outdoor PE; providing a running track for athletics, hockey and football pitches, tennis courts and changing rooms.

Was Bob Servant correct? Should dogs be banned from Dawson Park?

On Saturday I received this letter in an email from a constituent. He is part of the Ferry Athletic Youth Football Club whose young players play regularly on the pitches at Dawson Park. The letter is self explanatory. 

In response the same day, I contacted the Animal Control Team to ask them to police this area much more rigorously. I have also asked the Environment Department to clean up this area. I am also appealing to all dog owners to be responsible and pick up their dog's excrement by using the free bags available from the Library and depositing these in the dog bins available in this park.

Dear Sir,

Was Bob Servant correct?

Should all dogs be banned from Dawson Park?

I agree, this is an unreasonable suggestion. However something has to be done.

As one involved in youth and adult sports groups that use Dawson Park on a regular basis I am absolutely disgusted at the amount of dog excrement left by irresponsible dog owners.

Today one of our coaches collected 9 bags of this vile excrement from the area towards the east of the park near the cricket pitch. We regularly remind our coaches and players to collect any rubbish at the end of training sessions and games.  A plastic juice bottle left behind might not degrade through time and look unsightly. But it doesn’t carry dangerous toxins or leave your shoes, car mat, carpet or child’s clothing smelling vile. With all the publicity recently with the Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow and the promotion of activities to keep children active this situation is simply unacceptable.  They would be safer at home playing on a games console!

We pay a substantial amount of money to Dundee City Council each year to use these facilities and every week without fail we have to spend time collecting dog mess. If any driver on Arbroath Road passing by notices marker cones in random positions around the park, they are the ones covering up dog waste.

There are several dog waste bins at each entrance to the park and I thank responsible dog owners for cleaning up their animal’s mess. Of course it is the minority of irresponsible owners who are giving all dog walkers a bad name.

I look forward to Dundee City Council proposing a solution to this unhygienic and unsightly mess.

Regards,

Finbarr McCarthy

Ferry Athletic Youth Football Club

Hazardous Dropped Bollard in Dawson Park Reported

Click on image to enlarge

A constituent, who is a regular dog walker in Dawson Park, contacted me to complain about a dropped bollard in Dawson Park.

They were worried that it meant that vehicles that would otherwise be prevented by the barrier from driving into the park might now take a wrong turn into the grassed area. 

Click on image to enlarge

Additionally, they thought that the barrier lying prostrate on the ground presented a trip hazard.


I of course decided not to model my response on Bob Servant Independent, who infamously proposed to ban dogs from Dawson Park.

I have requested that Staff from the Environment Department secure the bollard with a padlock.

  

Update on Dog Fouling in The Ferry - Not the Bob Servant Solution

My recent press coverage about shortages in the supply of the Council's free dog poo bags resulted in many follow up conversations with folk in Broughty Ferry and beyond. For some responsible dog owners, it's the shortage of dog bins in certain locations such as Ferryfields and Central Broughty Ferry which is the issue. I have taken this up with the Environment Department. For others, it is concern about the irresponsible dog owners who, despite the bags and bins from the Council, don't clean up after their dogs. 

Dog owners can be reassured that I am not about to take the approach adopted by Bob Servant the Independent Candidate in the Broughty Ferry parliamentary by-election. By the way it's screening on BBC4 and BBC2 Scotland from later this week. In a telephone phone-in on the local radio station, he advocates banning all dogs from Dawson Park.

But seriously, I would like to see some fixed penalty fines being issued to errant owners who don't clean up after their dogs. The Council has these powers, but rarely seems to make use of these. This might make dog walkers think twice about not cleaning up after their dogs.

On a more positive note, I was notified about Dog Training Classes that run at the Brooksbank Community Centre on Pitairlie Road. They provide dog training to around 80 dog owners and their dogs every week. Monday night 6 - 7pm is for Puppies and 7 - 8pm is for Adult Dogs. These classes are repeated on Saturday mornings 10 - 11am and 11 - 12am £5 per week Concessions £3.  Brooksbank Centre, Pitairlie Road, Dundee DD4 8DG. Phone:  01382 432450

Improvements to Open Spaces and Play Areas in Broughty Ferry Approved by Environment Committee

At the meeting of the Environment Committee on Monday 12 November, the Committee approved a report on improvements to Open Spaces and Play Areas throughout the city. 

This is the list of improvements which is to be undertaken in five parks and open spaces in Broughty Ferry:


Gillies Park
Refurbish and replace children's sit-on-spring-mobiles and
Repair worn sections of safer surfacing in fenced children's play area

Dawson Park
Landscape area to create seating and also refurbish shrub beds. These works will improve the visual aspect to the park and make the entrances more welcoming, yet not affecting existing maintenance costs.

Castle Green
Repair worn sections of safer surfacing in children's play area and 
Refurbish shrub beds and plantings to improve visual impact and maintenance.

Barnhill Cemetery
Landscape area to create seating and also refurbish shrub bed areas. This will make use of an unused area for the installation of memorial benches.

Strathmore Avenue
Landscape area to create seating and also refurbish shrub beds.

I know that many constituents and visitors to The Ferry will appreciate these minor but significant improvements to be undertaken by The Environment Department.

Council Meetings Monday 11 June 2012 - My Contributions

Last night we had a series of Council Committee meetings. There were fairly full agendas following the lengthy gap in meetings because of the elections. 


These are the questions and contributions I made.  


Environment Committee
Item 4 Dawson Park Environmental Improvements
"Convener, I welcome the important improvements to Dawson Park detailed in this report. By erecting a fence to curb indiscriminate parking and vehicle turning at the Dunottar Place entrance, the grass will be protected. The extension of the existing network of paths to connect to the play area should help adults and children by improving the underfoot conditions.
It is also positive to see the recycling of building materials. I think this is the second example of fencing being recycled and reused in Dawson Park."


Policy and Resources Committee
Item 8 Supply of IT Equipment
"Convener this is an interesting report in that it details the spend on a range of IT equipment clarifying the types of equipment in which we have invested. It is remarkable in three ways: 

• £696,000, has been spent over a fifteen week period on computers, net books, whiteboards and the majority of the expenditure has been in our schools;
• I am reassured that a national portal for procurement has been used. 
• What however is remarkable in a negative way is the absence of any data on output and outcome measures. How many computers have been purchased for example? What are the anticipated outcomes of their deployment and installation in our schools and other services?

I think that we need and deserve a more detailed report in future when we are investing such a considerable amount of money year on year."


Policy and Resources Committee 
Item 11 Dundee Strategy for the Safe Use of Electronic Communications
"Convener, I welcome this report and the care it demonstrates in promoting the safe use of electronic communications, especially though not exclusively with children in our schools. 
There are many potential dangers which have arisen with the new media which the report refers to. For example, providing new opportunities to bully, swindle, embarrass, steal identities and groom victims. I do think it is right that that we should warn parents, carers, children and young people and vulnerable adults and the staff that work with them about the potential dangers. I do however think we need more emphasis in our schools and and homes on developing discriminating users of electronic media. I think this is potentially embraced in the four capacities at the heart of the Curriculum for Excellence - our aspiration that all our young people should become:

• successful learners,
• confident individuals,
• responsible individuals and
• responsible individuals."

Tree Planting in Dawson Park Sponsored by Dundee Rotary Club

This afternoon I helped to plant a tree in Dawson Park. This specimen will now form part of the handsome line of trees that runs in parallel with the Arbroath Road. 
This is the first of five trees filling in gaps caused by wind damage last year.
The five trees were donated by The Rotary Club of Dundee who in fact donated the whole avenue of trees that were part of the development of 'Ambassador Routes' into the city some years ago. This is a lasting contribution to enhancing the appearance of this well used public park and greening one of our major thoroughfares into the city. 
Well done Dundee Rotary Club.