Recreation Centers of Sun City President Kat Fimmel dismissed rumors Feb. 21 at a Duffeeland Dog Park Club meeting that the park was facing closure.

“The RCSC is not closing the dog park,” Fimmel emphasized several times at the meeting, which was attended by more than 100 members of the club. “We know from experience the club is officially capable, as a group, of monitoring the park. If you follow the rules that have been here since the club opened, there won’t be any need to close the park.”

Rumors began circulating about the park’s closure in mid-January after an incident occurred in which a man visiting the park with his two dogs used a stun gun on a third dog in the park.

“He was very overprotective of his rowdy dogs and when another dog got close he used the stun gun,” said Bill Agy, club president.

The incident was the latest, and most serious, in a number of increasing incident reports received about the park over the past year, according to Fimmel.

In a series of meetings between club officers and members of the RCSC management staff, the officers said they were told the club either needed to provide monitors during its open period or the park, which is more than 10 years old, would be closed.

“It’s just not realistic for us to have monitors out there every day in the heat of the day,” said Karen Heisler, club treasurer. “People are upset because, as seniors, we can’t walk our dogs and it’s how we socialize. It’s advertised as part of our amenities and now they just want to close it down.”

Fimmel said the problem is the increasing number of incident reports and that should be addressed by the club.

“We are interested in the club continuing to be a club and to monitor yourselves,” she said. “The best thing you can do is follow your rules.”

Cindy Glasco, membership coordinator, said Fimmel’s stance on the dog park was “a complete 180 from what we were told in those meetings.”

Agy, in his opening remarks, admitted the club had some work to do on enforcing some of the park rules. He said the club had become rather lax in enforcing certain rules, such as requiring dog tags, prohibiting female dogs in heat, cleaning up after their dogs, and feeding the canines while in the park.

“These rules are similar to the Maricopa County rules,” he said. “Some of the rules were not being followed and we’re going to have to follow the rules. I think we can enforce and report rulebreakers, but I don’t think we can monitor it 13 hours a day.”

A suggestion from the audience that the club institute an orientation when a new member joins, which would make them aware of the rules and regulations, was endorsed by Agy, who said the club officers would begin that immediately to reinforce what new RCSC members receive in their welcome packet.