There are those among us who don't particularly care for dogs,
and there are those among us who have no use at all for the
irresponsible sort of dog owner. Could those folks possibly
benefit from Bethel's having a dog park? I believe so, and
here's why.  Twenty-odd years ago, skiers regarded snowboarders
as young, brash beginners. They were happy to see ski areas
either ban snowboarders or limit them to a few slopes, and they
resented the halfpipes that some ski areas built to attract
snowboarders. Those skiers that were paying attention, though,
came to appreciate those halfpipes, because the snowboarders
spent much of their time there, which kept them off the regular
trails. The snowboarders didn't use the lifts as much, either,
because they were content to walk back to the top of the
halfpipe. There was no need for Ski Patrol to monitor the
halfpipes, for the snowboarders themselves enforced halfpipe
etiquette through peer pressure.  More recently, there used to
be complaints in Bethel about skateboarders