It appears Dark Hollow Woods in Oakmont will remain a place for off-leash dogs and bicyclists as council continues to mull over a recreation board proposal.

Council previously approved a six-month trial period to test off-leash times and cycling in the publicly owned park near Crystal Drive.

Recreation board member Ryan Erlich said the trial, which was originally set for May through October, went June through November.

He presented his group’s findings at this month’s workshop meeting.

Erlich said 84 people participated in a survey, which was posted on the recreation board’s Facebook page as well as surveymonkey.com and Nextdoor, a social networking service.

Survey results showed 70% of responders support off-leash dogs while 30% did not. About 82% of responders were also in favor of bikes in the park while 18% opposed the change.

The current borough policy prohibits bikes in the park and dogs from roaming free.

Erlich said many residents became confused by some of the trial’s parameters such as the times and locations for cycling and off-leash dogs.

Off-leash times were from dawn to 1 p.m. and on-leash from 1 p.m. to dusk in the southwest section of the park. The opposite times were in effect in the northeast section. Bikes were permitted through the park after 3 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays.

The recreation board suggested making the north side permanently off-leash and the south permanently on-leash, and even extending the northern border a few hundred yards to allow users some creek access.

They also offered to install spit rail fencing and more permanent signage to help with the separation.

Resident Barbara Fisher opposed the idea of splitting the park, and raised concerns about free-roaming pets.

“People do not have control of their dogs. They just don’t,” Fisher said. “Dogs would jump at me and almost knock me over and get me all muddy with their paws. That is something that I need to be protected from and everybody (should be as well). I’m worried about small children. I’m worried about the little old lady … You have to protect people and keep them safe as they walk the woods.”

Councilwoman Leah Powers echoed Fisher’s sentiments.

“I feel dogs should be under control of the owner regardless of whether it’s off-leash or not,” Powers said. “Anybody should be able to walk any of our parks at any time without feeling threatened by an animal.”

About a dozen residents at the workshop meeting raised their hands in support of off-leash dogs.

“I’m very pleased that the rec board has continued to support us having some space there, and has extended it so dogs can get to some water, which is very helpful,” resident Nancy Atkinson said.

The borough also received letters of support and concern of the recreation board’s efforts during the trial period.

Erlich said the experiment also showed few people biked in the park, and recommended removing the hourly restrictions.

Several residents voiced concerns about the trails not being wide enough for biking, and encouraged council to keep the restrictions.

“The rec board is trying to come up with solutions that work for everyone,” Erlich said. “I think we’ve done that. I think there are multiple good solutions here. Hopefully, at the end of the day, council approves a solution that works for everyone. Nothing’s perfect, but we have some good ones on the table.”

Councilman Tim Favo said he’s in support of both cycling and off-leash dogs in the park, provided there’s some tweaking with the recreation board’s proposal and consideration for bike safety.

Police Chief Michael Ford said there were no incidents involving cyclists or dog bites, and the biggest complaint his department received about Dark Hollow was about dogs running on to private property along Crystal Drive.

Council President William Benusa, who was mentioned by a workshop attendee as one of the cyclists in the park during the trial period, declined comment.

Council plans to formally vote on the park issues at its Dec. 16 meeting.

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