DOG AND PONY SHOW EQUESTRIANS SAY NEW CANINE PARK RAISES QUESTIONS OF SAFETY.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Work crews have been grading a three-acre site at Conejo Creek Park that will soon become a playground for man's best friend.

But while pooches will have a new place to run free, equestrians who opposed the park are bracing for the canines they worry will soon be underfoot.

``All I can do now is try to put out the rules and regulations on how to behave around horses to try to prevent accidents that could happen,'' said resident Marilee Ullmann, who formed a neighborhood group against the dog park. ``We are going to monitor very closely how those people react around horses. Safety has always been an issue from the beginning.''

With leash laws in place in local parks, those developed just for dogs are becoming more and more popular. Calabasas opened its one-acre dog park last year.

The Conejo Recreation and Park District Board of Directors recently awarded a $200,201 contract to Cascade Sprinklers of Moorpark to construct the dog park and parking area and plant landscaping.

The district is grading the site and construction is expected to begin in about two months. It'll take another three months to grow the turf but the park should be open to the public in five or six months, planners said.

``It's the most used facility in a park system,'' said Loren Pluth, district senior park planner in Conejo Valley.

``We envision the park is going to be incredibly popular for the first few months and then sort of hit a stride after that, which is typical with new facilities that open up.''

The neighbors group, Waverly Horse and Homeowners Association - or WHOA - tried to stop the dog park, opposed because of safety concerns of mixing horses and dogs, and traffic congestion.

Park officials said they have addressed traffic issues, and have discussed potential concerns about mixing dogs and horses to come up with solutions they believe will work.

Pluth said officials will continue to address ongoing concerns as they arise.

Pluth said operation hours of the park, and trails for horses in conjunction with a horse group, are still being worked on. The park will include picnic tables, benches and water fountains that also contain bowls at the bottom for dogs. A dispenser for dog waste also will be on site. The facility will be surrounded by a chain link fence.

As a result of her experience Ullmann also has decided to toss her hat into the ring for a seat on the recreation and park board.

``One of the things I think I can do is step in and add a little expertise in the way they put parks together,'' she said. ``That is my next move.''

The dog park is part of a master plan adopted last year that guides the development of the 120-acre Conejo Creek Park.

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Map: Site of new dog park