By Megan Ma

After years of sporadic discussion about the possibility of opening a dog park in Los Altos, members of the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission are seriously considering sites and have sent out a survey to gauge residents’ interest.

Current city ordinance prohibits owners from having their dogs off leash, a rule that many continually defy.

“People do it quite regularly and keep a lookout for police,” said PARC commissioner Marian Cooper.

Lynette Lee Eng, PARC chairwoman, said the park would have an enclosed area where small and large dogs could be separated and allowed to roam freely within the double-fenced space.

So far, Los Altos police officers have voiced a preference for one park, but Cooper said the location is still up in the air and will not be released until survey results are in. The survey is in the latest Communique, a city-endorsed newsletter.

“The site under consideration would require very little extra work to set up,” Cooper said.

The dog park would be open during daylight hours and would lock from the outside.

“We are trying to strike a happy medium between people who would like to run their dogs free and people who enjoy the quiet park and those that are fearful of dogs,” Eng said.

Councilwoman Val Carpenter said she could support a dog park as long as the area is enclosed.

“Dogs running off-leash in parks is not appropriate and makes people uncomfortable,” she said.

After the survey results come back in about a month, the PARC commission will discuss them and may offer a recommendation to the city council.