Dog Park Where Poison was Discovered Reopens — but Nuevo Dog Park Remains Closed

Santa Clara reopened Jenny Strand dog park after poison was discovered there in early May, but it still has not reopened Nuevo Dog park.

Santa Clara’s Nuevo Dog Park remains closed — after roughly 10 months.

Last summer, the city began getting reports that several dogs that had visited the park, located at Ryder Street and La Rambla Avenue, fell ill. One even died. Following the reports, the city closed the park in late July.

In a statement following the closure, the city claimed the safety of Santa Clarans was a “top priority” and that it was “taking these concerns seriously.” Subsequently, the city launched a “thorough environmental assessment.”

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The city does not use any pesticides and uses eco-friendly products to clean them.

Overgrowth at the park in February indicated there has been little activity at Nuevo Dog Park since its closure.

Since launching the investigation, the city has not updated the public on the park’s status or given a timeline as to when it will reopen.

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The park is in Vice Mayor Albert Gonzalez’s district.

Late last year, he wrote that the report was being “made easier to read for the public.”

In response to an email inquiry May 4, Gonzalez wrote that the city had hired a consultant. The consultant provided the city a draft report earlier this month, he wrote. He added that “several questions were identified.”

However, a followup email inquiring how much the city paid the consultant that has taken nearly a year to produce a report and what questions “were identified” went unanswered.

The city is awaiting an “updated version” of the consultant’s report, Gonzalez wrote, adding that he would forward “what they send over, hopefully the report.”

That was on May 11.

For comparison, also on May 11, the city investigated a report of a dog that fell ill at Jenny Strand Park, 250 Howard Drive. During that investigation, the city discovered rat poison and promptly closed the park. It then reopened the park just ten days later, on May 21.

In a press release announcing Jenny Strand Parks’s reopening, the city again wrote that the “safety of residents, visitors and pets remains a top priority.”

The city encourages residents with questions or concerns regarding city-operated dog parks to call the dog park hotline at (408) 615-3144 or submit a report through the MySantaClara app.

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com

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