Dog owners outraged by stench of port-a-potty
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

"The outhouse at the dog park stinks!"

That was the first complaint on a petition signed by about 30 people and sent to the Conejo Recreation and Park District asking for improvements at the dog park in Thousand Oaks.

The outhouse was also described as unsanitary, inaccessible to the handicapped and lacking handwashing facilities. In addition, according to the petition, the toilet seats are too large for children to use safely and the outhouse door had a broken latch.

A sign on the small-dog gate that read "No dogs over 30 pounds allowed" was reported to be missing.

"As a result, several large dogs were brought into the small dog side, resulting in injuries to a small terrier, a bichon mix and a senior citizen," the petition said.

Since receiving the petition, the park district has responded by cleaning the port-a-potty twice a week at a cost of $120 weekly instead of once a week for $60, said Tom Hare, park and planning administrator.

The latch on the door has been fixed and it now locks, he said, and the sign for the small-dog gate has been replaced.

Regarding the toilet seats being unsafe for children, the size is standard for port-a-potties, Hare said.

The portable toilet will not be made handicapped-accessible, and it looks like there won't be hand-washing facilities any time soon, Hare said.

"A sink unit could get stolen," he said.

The park paid $2,100 for the portable toilet four years ago, he said. Another smaller unit with a sink inside would cost about $1,200.

Hand-washing facilities are required for Conejo Valley Days and other events when food is served, he said.

A restroom was not originally a part of the dog park plan. Once the park was created, the need for one was recognized and the portable toilet was added.

If that's not working, Hare said, rather than adding more portable facilities, the park district would consider putting in a permanent facility.

"That would be costly. What we do is we look at the needs of the community and decide what is required to satisfy them. Then we try to provide that," Hare said.