John Denver park going to the dogs?
   By John Colson
   Aspen Times Staff Writer
   The Aspen Times 1/19/2000
   
   It looks as though the John Denver Sanctuary may become Aspen's
   experimental "dog park," if the late singer's family agrees to the
   idea.
   
   And two of the town's most popular trails may also be "leash-free"
   zones, under a plan being considered by the Aspen City Council.
   
   Two members of the council came to the conclusion that the sanctuary
   space is an appropriate spot for the experiment because it is right
   off the popular Rio Grande Trail, next to Rio Grande Park.
   
   It's location next to the heavily used trail, reasoned council members
   Tony Hershey and Terry Paulson, might encourage dog owners to walk
   their pets there rather than drive them from other parts of town.
   
   The potential for a dog park has been studied by a group known as the
   Aspen Canine Friends since last September, said Aspen's chief
   environmental enforcement officer, Brian Flynn.
   
   The idea is to create a place where dogs and their owners can hang out
   without having to adhere to the city's strict leash law. It has been
   tried successfully in cities across the country, Flynn said.
   
   At a City Council work session on Tuesday, Flynn proposed three
   possible locations for an experimental "no-leash" park - the
   sanctuary, Molly Gibson Park on the north side of town, and the land
   known as the Marolt Open Space on the western edge of the city.
   
   Only council members Hershey, Paulson and Tom McCabe were present
   (McCabe left before the meeting ended.)
   
   McCabe suggested that the sanctuary might not be an appropriate place
   for such a use because of its "contemplative" nature. The sanctuary
   was dedicated in August 1998 as a gesture of respect for the late
   singer and Aspen resident, who died in a plane crash in California in
   1997. It was intended to be a passive park.
   
   But in a debate on the other possible locations, council members
   raised a number of objections.
   
   For example, considering the relatively remote nature of the Marolt
   open space, it was felt that users would be too tempted to drive from
   their homes, and that the dogs might frighten a small group of deer
   that frequents the area.
   
   And the Molly Gibson Park is adjacent to the sole access road to the
   large Williams Ranch subdivision; residents there are worried that
   parking for users of the dog park might become a problem. According to
   Williams Ranch resident Sheldon Fingerman, the Ranch's homeowner's
   association voted overwhelmingly against trying the experiment at
   Molly Gibson.
   
   Flynn noted that there are only four parking spaces at Molly Gibson
   park itself, but he said there is room for two more spaces right at
   the park, and for more spaces on land owned by Pitkin County at the
   base of Smuggler Mountain Road, just downhill from the park.
   
   But, after McCabe had left the meeting, Hershey and Paulson came to
   the conclusion that some location near the Rio Grande Trail might be
   best, especially since the City Council is considering making all or
   parts of both the Rio Grande Trail and the Shadow Mountain Trail on
   the southern edge of town "leash-free."
   
   Flynn was directed to continue working with the group, and to contact
   John Denver's family to see if they have any objections to such a use
   for the sanctuary.