Ward Canyon Dog Park

08/18/2024

Come see me try my hand at StandUp! I promise you'll laugh. This coming Saturday, August 24 at Point Loma Playhouse. Only $15.

07/26/2024

Want to talk to our council member's office about the permanent plan for the dog park?

A staff member from Sean Elo-Rivera’s office will meet with concerned dog owners next Tuesday, July 30 at 3 pm at the small dusty dog park off of 40th at Ward Canyon Park.

The agenda includes informing her of our concerns regarding unexpected change to the permanent plan for the off leash area.

Please be there to express your support for the largest possible area for our pooches.

And pass the word to your neighbors in person and on Nextdoor.

05/30/2024

As mentioned earlier, plans for the permanent off leash area are being "finalized". Your help is needed to encourage the city and CalTrans to agree on releasing their section of 40th street so that we get all the square footage we have been expecting. Come to the CRG meetings on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

05/07/2024

Normal Heights Community Planning Group Monthly Meeting
TONIGHT! Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 6:00 PM until approx. 8:30 PM
Normal Heights Community Center
4649 Hawley Avenue
also via Zoom at https://normalheightscpg.org/meet-now/

6:00 Call to order - AUDIO, CHAT, AND VIDEO WILL BE RECORDED
1. Opening “reflection”
2. Introductions of Board members. Virtual attendees are encouraged to enter their name for a record of their attendance in “Chat” or, if participating by audio only, to introduce themselves verbally. A reminder that other Chat entries will not be monitored by the Chair and are not considered official communications, even if to or from Board members.
3. Agenda Setting/modifications (Note: items may be addressed out of listed order and time)
4. Approval of meeting minutes for April as sent via email – Chair
5. Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer/ Frances Prichett
6:15 Non-Agenda Public Comment
6. Non-Agenda Public Comment regarding NH land use & related NH community issues (2min pp).
7. Digital Communications Monitoring from, nextdoor, Facebook, Email, etc.
6:30 Action/Decision Items (Board member roll call may be performed for recording votes)
8. PRJ- 1113452 Benton Place presented by Luis Espinoza
9. General Plan Refresh Blueprint SD presented by Chair
10. Overview of Agenda and Minutes Cycle - Chair
11. Goals for new cycle – Greg Stone
12. Review of committees and membership
8:00 Reports/Updates
13. City, County, and State government agency representatives, if present.
• District 9 Councilmember Elo-Rivera – Sara Al-Agha
• Mayor’s Office - Lucero Maganda
• County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe (or representative)
• State Senator Atkins –Andi McNew
• Assembly Member Ward – Christopher Gris
• District 51 U.S. Congressmember Sara Jacobs (or representative)
14. Chair Report
• Ad hoc subcommittee to submit to the County Grand Jury regarding SD Planning Dept.
15. Community Group updates when present
• Adams Avenue Business Association – Scott Kessler
• El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association – Gary Weber
• NH Community Association and NH Urban Arts – Greg Stone/Norma Stafford
• Adams “Community Recreation Advisory Group” – Nancy Lawler
• NH for Smart Growth – Paul Coogan
8:15 Standing Committees
16. Joint Mid-City Communities Plan Update Committee – Emilie Colwell
17. Historical Property Review Report – Dan Soderberg
8:30 Advisory Committees
18. Nominating Committee - Greg Stone, Jim Baross
19. Utility Undergrounding & Street Lighting MAD – Emilie Colwell & Francis Prichett
20. Community Garden - Paul Coogan
21. Tree Replacements - Greg Stone, Emilie Colwell, Gerald Schoelen
22. Traffic Issue Taskforce (Report on Vision Zero) – Allan Harjala
8:45 Adjournment
Paul Coogan
Chair, NHCPG

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04/30/2024

Just a quick note to let you know that the April monthly Community Recreation Group meetings on the 30th has been cancelled. There has been no additional information posted about the issues concerning the permanent plan for the Off-Leash area, so the Chair cancelled the meeting.

We will update you with information on the May meeting!

And if anyone is interested in helping secure the Community Garden sooner than later in the now closed Large Dog area, please attend the May 7 meeting of the Normal Heights Community Planning Group :: NHCPG.

03/09/2024

Greetings Dog Park friends. Just letting you know that the new butterfly mosaic is going to be installed this coming week at the Rec Center at 35th and Adams.

Here is the information from Kim Emerson - the designer/artist.

"We are very happy to announce that we will be installing the “Kaleidoscope of Butterflies” mosaic mural next Thursday, March 14th! The mosaic butterflies and are ready to fly out our studio doors, and the contractor, Fortress Fence & Landscape, Inc., will be installing all 11 panels starting early AM. I will be on site at the Adams Recreation Center and Community Park the 2 days afterwards with Dennis to finish the last details. Please stop by and say hello and take pictures and/or videos.

And, it just so happens that March 14th is “National Learn About Butterflies Day”. We did not originally plan to install this particular day, but we believe that it is meant to be!

The dedication/unveiling day of the mural will be announced soon. Thank you to ALL for your kindness and support of this project. We look forward to seeing you at the Adams Rec Center soon.

Please feel free to pass this information along to anyone who you think would be interested.

We hope and trust that the color, beauty, and influence of this permanent mosaic art installation will invite and inspire positive energy and activities in our little community park, and that it will help create a sense of pride and hope for our neighborhood!"

01/24/2024

Plans are underway for a dedication of the butterfly mural at the Rec Center (Adams and 35th) on March 29 during the Spring Fling. More details as we get them. Kim Emerson reported that they are finishing up the last panel and hope to install by early March!

01/24/2024

This Saturday...

01/24/2024

Update on Ward Canyon Dog Park plans. Lydia from the City Engineering and Capital Projects department gave a briefing on some of the possible changes to the plan that was initially developed in 2013. She will come to future meetings to get our input as we get closer to a final plan. Please be there to provide your input.

- CalTrans and the City are still in discussion about the piece of 40th Street that CalTrans "owns." The issue here is that CalTrans says that it will take 3.2 to 3.5 million dollars to "reconfigure" the on/off ramp to the 15.
- The City will not close our existing dog parks at Ward Canyon until a new one has been built. Please come to the CRG meetings to remind them of this promise.
- There is 8 million dollars available to start work on the overall park plan, minus this small section that is still in dispute.
- 40th Street will NOT be opened again according to Lydia. Please put that rumor to bed. But please come to the CRG meetings to hold the City to this.
- The former Police sub-station building on the corner of Adams and 39th is set to be demolished this year and a perimeter fence installed so that the playground can safely be expanded.
- The new Rec Center building will need to be relocated from where it is on the initial plan due to site issues with fill dirt. The new building will include restrooms and the existing restrooms will be removed.

Please become a Wagger and come to these monthly meetings...4th Tuesday at 6 PM at the Rec Center at 35th and Adams. You can also Zoom in. We will post the link here.

01/23/2024

Tomorrow evening at 6 PM - please be at the Adams Rec Center at 35th and Adams to get an update from a City Planner on their proposed changes to the Permanent Plan in Ward Canyon. Your input is needed.

The information we have so far is bad enough - that CalTrans doesn't want to "reconfigure" the off-ramp which would cut into the off-leash area footprint. But some people are thinking that the City might want to open 40th street up again. This is just a rumor, but it is something to ask the City Planner about. If it is even remotely true, then there would be no additional acreage other than the now closed Large dog area.

As I said, this is purely a rumor at this point. Get the real story - TOMORROW night.

You can call in or Zoom, but your best option is in person.

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01/18/2024

Want to hear from Parks and Rec about the potential changes to Ward Canyon Dog Park? Please attend this meeting on Jan 23rd.

The City Park Planner, Lydia Marshall, will answer questions about the Ward Canyon Park General Development Plan (GDP) potential changes.

Adams Recreation Center, 3491 Adams Avenue
(619) 235-1149

Join the Meeting In-Person or via Teleconference
Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 6:00 PM.

If you can't be there in person, please Zoom in!
To Join via the Zoom Teleconference Meeting -

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...