City Council hears complaints about dogs, geese, smokers at park

Careless dog owners and those annoying geese at Glenwood Lake Park were among the issues discussed at City Hall during the regular meeting of the Glenwood City Council Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Glenwood resident Stephen Hunt addressed multiple issues with the council, including concerns he has about dogs and dog owners coming to  Glenwood Lake Park.

Hunt, a volunteer at the Mills County Historical Museum, said he spends considerable time at the park and is concerned that many dog owners are allowing their pooches to run freely at the popular recreation area (and other areas of the city) and the owners aren’t cleaning up after their animals.

“Dogs are my pet peeve right now,” Hunt said. “I don’t think we should have to put up with poop and the potential hazards for children in the playground area.”

Making light of the controversial urban chicken ordinance passed by the city council earlier this year, Hunt added, “I don’t see any chickens running around, but I see a lot of dogs.”

Hunt said he’s witnessed dogs being allowed to urinate in the children’s playground area at the park and mentioned an incident involving an unleashed dog that made its way into the museum.

Hunt offered some suggestions to help remedy the situation, including the installation of a “poop bag dispenser” at the park and creating a dog run in the old horseshoe pit area of the park.

Ongoing concerns about the large number of geese at the park were also addressed.

Council member Dan McComb said discussions have taken place with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to come up with a way to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of geese residing at the park.

Concerns about people smoking in the park were also  mentioned. It is illegal to smoke at the park or on any piece of city property.

Council member and mayor pro-tem Craig Florian suggested the city evaluate its “No Smoking” and “Do Not Feed The Geese” signage at the park.