SAHUARITA (KGUN9-TV) - Residents have left dozens of plastic chairs at two Sahuarita dog parks, and now city officials are stepping in.
The residents began bringing their own chairs, favoring them to the stationary benches at Anamax and Quail Creek dog parks, because they can move them to be wherever their dog or the shade is at the time.
But the chairs were considered an issue when residents began leaving them at the parks and not taking them back and forth at each visit.
"You understand a lot of people are elderly around here and they can hardly walk, much less carry a chair from their car. So when they brought their own chairs it was more convenient for them to leave their chairs here and then use them the next day," said Jose Rosadillo, who has frequented Anamax dog park for about five years.
Sahuarita city officials say the chairs were making a mess in the park, getting in the way of dogs running around and making clean-up more difficult for maintenance crews. In response, residents said they then began stacking the chairs at night.
However, the city said the chairs could still pose an issue of liability if someone were to get hurt on one of them.
Sahuarita Parks and Recreation Director Deborah Summers sent 9 On Your Side a statement saying the city has decided to purchase "commercial grade" chairs to be put in the dog parks.
"We will remove the chairs currently in the park, which are not manufactured for commercial use, and replace them with something comparable but UV resistant and built for longer-term, commercial use,” said Summers in the statement.
The new chairs are estimated to cost $40 a piece. Summers said the money will come from the Parks Maintenance Supplies Budget.
Summers does not know when the new chairs will be purchased, but said the existing chairs will remain at the parks until the new ones arrive.
The Parks and Recreation Commission will decide regulations regarding the new chairs at their next meeting on March 2.
