Renovations to the Rancho Bernardo Off-Leash Dog Park will be part of a nearly $2.1 million endeavor to make RB Community Park more accessible to visitors by fall 2024, according to city officials.

The initial design concept for the park renovations was shown to community members during the RB Recreation Advisory Group’s Sept. 21 meeting.

The concept includes such improvements to the dog park as adding an 8-foot by 20-foot shade structure to each of the three dog pens, planting more shade trees and adding an 8-foot to 10-foot strip of synthetic grass.

The 40-acre community park will also be getting a renovation that includes completing a sidewalk loop and parking lot improvements to make it accessible to all.

Also planned are curb ramps and crosswalk striping to the intersection on the park’s north side, new sidewalks, chain link fencing, parking lot accessible parking space improvements, comfort station (restroom) floor leveling, site furnishings, multi-use path striping, and landscape and irrigation modifications.

Jarod Huwa with KTUA, a San Diego-based landscape architecture and planning firm, said some improvements are in response to community requests, while others are to fix issues such as cracked and heaving concrete.

The dog park has “quite a bit of shade” and dirt tends to get on the concrete portion, Huwa said, which is why the synthetic grass strip will help with removing dirt from dogs’ paws when they walk on it when going from the open space to the pen gates.

The desire to preserve existing trees adds some constraints on what can be done in the dog park, he said. Some trees have surface roots visible. Huwa said reducing the amount of dust in the park is a goal but erosion issues, waterflow into an adjacent Multi-Habitat Planning Area on the other side of the dog park’s fence, and existing utility lines are also issues when it comes to adding features, including grass.

“We want to preserve the large open areas and the trees closer to the fence line,” Huwa said.

Three proposed shade structures will be built on two posts in lieu of four, Huwa said, so they will fit into the site with all the constraints the crew will be working around, such as the tree roots. The shade structures are to be placed near the entry of each pen. One is for small dogs, one for large dogs and another for all dogs.

If the project stays on schedule, the 10 months of construction will be complete by October 2024, according to Juliana Grotzinger, a City of San Diego civil engineer.

A couple of residents questioned why additional work outside of the dog park was being included in the project. Grotzinger said it is due to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. When work occurs, ADA improvements such as finishing the sidewalk loop around the park and improving accessibility from the parking lot must be included.

There were also a few suggestions and requests.

Debbie Meyer asked that a 21-inch rattlesnake guard be installed along the fencing of the dog park pens to protect dogs from snake bites. She said the request had been included in previous design surveys.

Another attendee asked about adding a drinking water fountain to each pen. Huwa said environmental constraints and water flow require that an accessible fountain has to placed outside the pens.

Meyer said dogs get upset when owners have to leave the pens to get them water. Officials said they would look into making a hose bib for surface cleaning purposes available to dog park users.

“Dog parks are extremely challenging ... for surfacing,” said Kevin Oliver with the city’s Public Works Department.

He explained the city has strict guidelines when it comes to maintenance options and grass selection.

Meyer said the dog park had grass until water restrictions kept it from being watered. She compared the grass situation at RB’s dog park to Poway’s, which she said has grass.

Robin Kaufman, the RB Recreation Advisory Group’s president and the dog park liaison, said the difference is that Poway’s was built in a flat area and the city uses reclaimed water for irrigation. In contrast, the RB park is on a slope and does not have access to reclaimed water.

“Poway uses a type of grass we can’t use due to (RB) being a sensitive area, it is invasive,” Kaufman said. “They (Poway) use a combination of grasses.”

According to the project budget, the entire work is estimated to cost $2,065,451. This is divided into two categories — $826,180 for soft costs, including preliminary engineering, design, permitting, environmental and contingency, and $1,239,271 in hard costs, for construction and post-construction work.

The work will be financed through multiple funding sources, including a $485,000 state grant secured by Assemblyman Brian Maienschein in 2019 (it was initially $500,000 but was reduced by the state during the pandemic), $409,451 from the city’s general fund, $1,021,000 from a Rancho Bernardo Facility fund, $100,000 from antenna lease revenue and $50,0000 from an infrastructure fund.

According to the project schedule, the 12 months of design work is slated to conclude in July 2023, then the project’s construction contract will go out for bid, with the goal of being awarded by December 2023. Construction is estimated to take 10 months, ending in October 2024. There will also be a 12-month post-construction period during which any repairs needed under the warranty would occur.

Grotzinger said staff can update the community through the recreation group when the design work, now at the 30 percent phase, reaches 60, 90 and 100 percent levels in case changes have to be made due to costs.

“Updates will allow if there is a discrepancy so we can work with the Parks and Recreation Department to request additional funds,” Grotzinger said.

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