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Resident asks park board to ban fishing on narrow trail after dog swallowed hook
Summary
A longtime Charmin Estates resident told the Sherman Park Board Aug. 12 that fishing lines and poles left across a narrow footpath near the park pond caused her beagle to swallow a hook; she urged the board to consider designating the path a no-fishing area because of erosion and safety concerns.
Patty Marshall, a Charmin Estates resident of 52 years, told the Sherman Park Board on Aug. 12 that her beagle swallowed a fishing hook on a narrow section of the city park trail and urged the board to designate that footpath a no-fishing area.
Marshall said the area where people stand to fish has eroded to a strip “less than 2 feet” wide, and that anglers leaving poles across the path caused her to stumble. She said her dog, Bliss, swallowed a hook baited with hot dog and required X-rays and a surgical removal that cost about $3,500.
The request matters because, Marshall said, the narrow, eroded trail creates a safety risk for walkers and their pets. “I had a hard time not falling in the water that night when I was stumbling over the fishing poles,” she told the board.
Ashley Cox, park superintendent, later described the trail as a continuation of the foot paths and confirmed people fish from that spot. President Robin McDaniel responded to Marshall’s comment, saying, “Patty, we’re so sorry that you’ve gone through all this … We will absolutely talk about it.”
Marshall also said her husband Raymond recently died after an extended hospital stay; she described walking the park trails as part of her routine and said she has avoided that stretch of path since the incident. She asked the board to “set aside as no fishing area” the narrow portion of the trail near the pond because it is eroding and dangerous.
The board did not take a formal vote or direct staff to enact a new rule during the meeting; McDaniel said the board would “talk about it” and review the area. No ordinance, policy citation, or timetable for staff review was stated during public comment.
The board heard the comment during the public-comment portion of its Aug. 12 meeting; the item was not on the published agenda as an action item and no formal action was recorded.
