Is Benicia Ready for Another Dog Friendly Beach?

The Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Commission will consider Wednesday whether to endorse a pilot program to make the Ninth Street beach the newest off-leash dog area in Benicia.  If approved by the commission and City Council, the pilot program will run for one year.

Dogs are already allowed to frolic in the water off-leash at the end of First Street and at the Promenade Beach between and the spit.  A pilot program was used to evaluate whether these two beaches were suitable for dogs to play off-leash.

Having beaches where dogs can play in the water is also one of the reasons Benicia was voted the in the United States.

The trial program that led to the Promenade and First Street beaches being open to dogs was run in 2001. During the trial period, city staff will monitor the following:

• Number of complaints 
• Calls for service (police or animal control) 
• Maintenance reports 
• Visual inspection of usage

At the end of the trial period the Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Commission will evaluate the data and make a recommend to the City Council whether to make the Ninth Street Beach a permanent off-leash area for dogs.

The commission meets on Wednesday, September 12, in Room 2 of the Community Center, 370 East L Street. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.

What do you think?  Should dogs be allowed on the Ninth Street Beach? Tell us in comments.

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If there’s something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor JB Davis at 707-628-0051 or email him at benicia@patch.com.