WEST LOOP — An alderman and a park council will host a meeting Tuesday night to address dog-related issues in the West Loop.
The Mary Bartelme Park Advisory Council is sponsoring a community meeting from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday at Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St. Ald. Danny Solis (25th), Chicago Park District officials and Chicago Police officers will be in attendance.
Rogue dog owners increasingly have bucked Bartelme Park's rules on pet poop and allowed their dogs to roam off-leash. The dog problems have yielded an "overwhelming" number of complaints from people who use the park.
In January, in an effort to tackle the problem, Solis suggested installing cameras to catch owners who failed to clean up their dog's doo.
The Bartelme Park Advisory Council made it clear at the time that they didn't want to resort to installing low-profile cameras yet, and instead said that they would move ahead with installing yard signs.
Solis previously said he was committed to asking officers to ticket irresponsible dog owners if necessary.
In May, signs were installed in Bartelme Park warning dog owners about the park's dog poop rules. Less than a day after the new signs were installed, someone removed the signs overnight, tossing them in the trash.
After the signs were trashed, some dog owners argued that the park's rules banning dogs from urinating and defecating on grassy areas were too strict.
Under city ordinance, owners who fail to clean up their pet's poop face a $50 to $500 ticket for each offense, unless the dog owner is legally blind.
To RSVP for the Tuesday night meeting, contact Scott Maesel, Bartelme Park Advisory Council president, at 312-676-1866 or scott.maesel@svn.com.
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