About 50 dog owners and their pets lined the circular drive at Evanston City Hall on Monday, Oct. 26, carrying signs and urging officials to keep the city's dog beach open past its planned Dec. 1 shutdown.
The rally, first reported by the Evanston Scribe, took place just as council members arrived for their regular meeting. Protesters want the city to find a faster, cheaper path to an ADA-compliant entrance ramp rather than closing the beach indefinitely.
Mike Meyers, chairman of the 1,200-member Dog Beach Working Group, said the group has spent four years pushing for a ramp. "So we're here to say, 'Put this ramp up. Do it fast, do it right away, so we can all enjoy it and minimize the closure,'" Meyers told the Scribe.
Lisa Makoul brought her 12-year-old dog Riley to the rally. She said simpler methods exist and that dogs shouldn't be "punished" while the city sorts out the ramp.
The off-leash beach, south of Clark Street Beach, has been out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) since it reopened with a temporary entrance in October 2022. The current entrance does not meet federal standards for slopes and landings, according to the city's ADA information page.
The closure decision came in late September, when the Administration and Public Works Committee unanimously rejected an $863,850 design-build contract with John Keno & Company for a permanent ramp. It was the fourth time in two years the council significantly reset or delayed the project, the Evanston Roundtable reported.
Committee members said the legal and moral risks of operating an inaccessible public facility had grown too large. Councilmember Krissie Harris (2nd Ward) was the first to call for a Dec. 1 closure, the Roundtable reported. Murphy Monroe, chair of the city's ADA Advisory Committee, told the committee the beach is not in compliance and that the city needed to prioritize access for disabled residents.
A wheelchair-using resident had filed a formal ADA grievance with the city, warning of a potential federal lawsuit, the Roundtable reported. Corporation Counsel Alex Ruggie told the committee the city had exhausted a typical two-year federal grace period for compliance.
Councilmember Clare Kelly (1st Ward), whose ward includes the beach, has pushed for a less expensive pier-style ramp she said could be installed before next summer. Beach users have argued that temporary mobility mats, already used on Evanston's swimming beaches, could provide access at a fraction of the cost. The city's ADA Advisory Committee rejected that approach, supporting a permanent installation instead.
The city plans to issue a new request for proposals in December for a redesigned ramp. Staff wrote in a memo, reported by Evanston Now, that they aim for installation by the 2027 summer season. Public Works Director Edgar Cano cautioned that permitting from the Army Corps of Engineers remains a timeline constraint.
After the beach closes Dec. 1, the city is directing dog owners to two alternative off-leash areas: Dog E-Town at Grey Park, at 1051 Main St., and Pooch Park.
