Dog Poo Downtown Topic at Council

With downtown's surging redevelopment there's likely one topic that hasn't been atop many people's minds as part of the work: dog poo.

But K9 waste has made it to Kent City Council, where it will get a full review.

Councilman John Kuhar asked council to consider adding dog waste receptacles, similar to those found at some parks and dog parks, to encourage people to pick up after their animals while walking them downtown.

"There's nothing worse," Kuhar said. "If there’s some way that we could notify the public better, in at least the downtown area, of what to do with their doggy poop... I’ve been in a couple cities where they’ve had actually doggy poop bags."

The more than $100 million in ongoing redevelopment projects has drawn large crowds downtown, and they've brought with them their pets on occasion.

Dogs may become even more prevalent downtown, as the apartments in Acorn Corner are pet friendly and the 32 new apartments under construction at Fairmount Properties Building C may also allow dogs.

Councilman Michael DeLeone, who works for Franklin Township, said the township has dog waste stations with bags in its parks.

Councilwoman Heidi Shaffer said the city may even be able to encourage people to recycle plastic newspaper delivery bags and other similar bags by donating them for such stations.

Kuhar said, at the least, he'd like to see signs if not waste stations downtown reminding people to pick up after their pets. 

"Maybe people don’t know they’re supposed to pick up the dog poop," he said.

Council voted in committee Wednesday to refer the issue to the city administration for review.