PACIFIC BEACH – The San Diego Unified School District’s recent decision to temporarily close Crown Point Junior Music Academy’s joint-use field is causing a stir.
There have been complaints about damage and sanitation issues caused by off-leash dogs at the Pacific Beach elementary school, 4033 Ingraham St.
Some people and groups, like the Pacific Beach Town Council, say the school’s previous policy, allowing public access to its joint-use field after-hours, is untenable given its current condition.
“Given that it is increasingly difficult to open new park facilities, we want to see innovative ways to use public spaces for as many to enjoy as possible,” said Charlie Nieto, the town council’s president. “Unfortunately, with the unfolding situation at the (academy’s) joint-use field, we are reminded that it only takes a few bad actors to ruin a good thing for everyone.”
Nieto noted that the academy field has seen a “proliferation of holes dug by dogs, which trip youth athletes and risk serious injury, as well as abandoned animal waste that students are stepping into that is just unsanitary and undignified.”
Since “the safety and well-being of our students and children must be a priority above all else,” Nieto said, “at the urgent request of the school, families and (the) broader community, the city and school district made the right decision to act, temporarily closing the field and exploring a new approach to these shared facilities.”
Some Pacific Beach residents, however, such as Jim Brennan of PB Pacifica, argue that the field’s closure is depriving them and their pets of much-needed local park and recreation space.
“I am an advocate of dogs being allowed in more places than they currently are,” he said. “I am also a huge advocate of dog owners being responsible. There are no bad dogs. But there are too many bad owners. Bad owners make it worse for the responsible ones.”
Kelly Gemelli, president of Friends of Crown Point Junior Music Academy, said she sympathizes with responsible dog owners, but called the situation “a source of frustration for the (academy) community for many years.
“These conditions made the field unusable for our kids,” Gemelli said. “Too many kids have stepped in dog feces and/or twisted their ankles. Using the field was both unsanitary and dangerous. We appreciate the leadership shown by the city and San Diego Unified in finally saying enough is enough and closing down the park.”
Samer Naji, facilities communications supervisor for San Diego schools, noted that very few of the district’s 96 joint-use field sites have been temporarily closed due to dog problems.
“This year, Crown Point Junior Music Academy and Mann Middle School remain temporarily closed due to off-leash dog activity,” he said. “Ibarra and Birney elementary schools were previously closed but have since reopened. Other fields impacted by off-leash dog activities have been temporarily closed as well, but for other reasons, primarily to allow for renovations.”
Naji added that the academy closure is only temporary “to allow the field to return to a clean, healthy and safe facility for students and families, and to deter future misuse of the facility by individuals who permit their pets to run off-leash.”
To that end, he said, the city Parks and Recreation Department has “scheduled a maintenance project in October to bring the (academy) field back to good condition.”
The district and the city are also working together to implement a new color-coded tiered warning system at all shared joint-use field sites to further deter off-leash dog activity.
“This tiered signage will display three levels — green, yellow, or red — indicating whether a field is open, at risk of closure due to misuse or temporarily closed because of misuse,” Naji said. “The goal of this system is to promote shared responsibility, increase public awareness and provide communities with the opportunity to address misuse before a field closure becomes necessary.”
How should the district move forward with its joint-use field policies? The town council offered some suggestions.
“We hope to see the city and school district unroll a thorough new plan to educate the public about proper use of these facilities and pair that with enforcement against repeated offenders,” said Nieto.
Other proposed solutions from the community, he said, include a reduction of dog access during permitted youth activity times and/or adding measures such as fencing to separate kid spaces from dog-friendly spaces.
“No one wants to see the joint-use field program end permanently,” Nieto said. “But it cannot be forgotten that these are school fields first and foremost and any additional uses are a privilege.”
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