DUNWOODY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
There's a proposal on the table that would move a popular Dunwoody dog park, and dog owners aren't happy.
Susan Hawkins and her dogs love the Brook Run Dog Park.
"It's such a beautiful perfect dog park. It's one of the prettiest ones in the Atlanta area," Hawkins said.
And news of a proposal by park administrators to move this dog park doesn't sit well with dog owners like Hawkins.
"It would be a shame to move it even if it's somewhere else in the park to a place that doesn't have this atmosphere," Hawkins said.
Hawkins loves the relaxed, friendly, spacious and shaded area the park provides for her dogs. She's not alone in her concern about the move.
Park administrators fear the dogs are causing erosion, are concerned that park overcrowding will eventually kill the trees and have received too many complaints that the animals are too noisy.
John Boushell sits on the board of directors for the Brook Run Dog Park association and says that all those concerns are fixable.
"We would prefer to stay where we are," Boushell, standing with his dog Bruits, told CBS Atlanta News. "We've put a lot of work and a lot of effort into the current area."
"There are some issues with overuse of the land, and if we do stay where we are, we have plans in place to address that overuse. So as aerating the soil, applying lime and putting up protective barriers around the trees," Boushell said.
Even with an improvement plan, Boushell concedes this may be a done deal.
"The move, however, seems eminent. So our next goal is with the move coming up, and we think it will happen, is to work as closely with the City Council as we can," Boushell said.
Park officials have asked for $200,000 from Dunwoody City Council to make this move happen. But Susan Hawkins and others believe there are better ways to spend the money.
"I think they should do whatever they can to preserve it before they consider moving it," Hawkins said.
Right now this move is just a proposal. It would have to be approved by City Council before anything happens.
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