Some residents are not pleased with the City of Rio Rancho’s response to the theft of dog waste bags along the Thompson Fence Line Trail in Corrales Heights. City officials say the thefts leave them no choice but to try something else.
The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCS) had maintained three traditional bag stations between Roadrunner Park and Villa Verde, city Spokesperson Cameron Grimm told The Paper. After receiving a complaint that the stations were empty, Grimm said, staff began monitoring them and found that unusually large quantities of bags (approximately 1,200 bags distributed across the three stations), were disappearing within hours of being restocked. The department replaced the traditional dispensers with PVC tubes stocked with donated grocery bags. Grimm said the city has used those in other parks for about 15 years. She said the city has received complaints from two residents regarding the change in bag dispensers.
Resident Grace Kearney, however, said a group wanted to submit petitions with more than 130 signatures at a city council meeting but didn’t get the chance. She said the shopping bags contain holes and are not useful for picking up after a pet…