Knightdale could have access to Raleigh greenway by September 2011.

Due to the protests of pet owners, the Knightdale town council delayed voting on an ordinance to fine owners of dogs that bark excessively.

“I’m not sure what to do, but I’m pretty sure what we have ain’t it,” said Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen after hearing from a room full of dog owners protesting the ordinance.

The council will meet before its Aug. 3 meeting to revise the proposed law.

As introduced Monday, the ordinance calls for a $50 penalty for owners of dogs who “bark, bay, cry, howl or make any other noise intermittently” for a half an hour.

The ordinance also cites owners who don’t keep dogs in a sanitary condition. But pet owners who spoke before council didn’t think the ordinance went far enough to assure a dog’s humane treatment.

“There’s sometimes a reason a dog barks,” said Reba Pendleton who lives in downtown Knightdale.

Pendleton said a barking dog could be in distress or merely playing.

She suggested putting a time limit on when a dog barking was considered disturbing — before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

“I’m trying to be a responsible pet owner,” she said.

Paula Gavasto, of 418 Mingocrest Drive, said the ordinance needed to prohibit people from keeping an animal on a chain or in an unsuitable shelter.

Other pet owners said they didn’t see why barking dogs should be singled out over other types of noise addressed in the town’s noise ordinance.

But Douglas Fishman said an ordinance was needed.

He said his neighbor’s dog’s constant barking kept him from sleep.

“Basically, it’s gotten to the point that we’re not neighborly,” he said.

Killen said the town’s public safety committee recommended the regulation after residents complained that barking dogs were a nuisance.

Knightdale town Attorney Clyde Holt said the proposed ordinance levies civil penalties, but that offenders could be cited criminally if fines were ignored.

The people of Knightdale welcomed the Duke Medical Plaza Thursday with excitement and curiosity.

Many town residents came out to see the facility and to talk to doctors who work there.

The plaza is in the process of ramping up its services. It has two primary care physicians, three urgent care docs and an orthopedist already on board. It is scheduled to get its gastroenterologist Friday. A pulmonologist will be available sometime in April. Cardiology and general surgery are next.

Duke Raleigh CEO Doug Vinsel noted that the facility is on 16 acres with plenty of room for expansion. He said the plaza is only phase one. Ultimately, it will have 16 physicians, 14 primary care and 11 specialists. And Vinsel said the future could hold outpatient services and MRI services.

It all depends on how well the plaza is received, he said.

It's already seeing so many patients that the staff is trying to figure out how to see them all with a shorter wait time, said Lundy Powers, the health center administrator at Knightdale.

It's understandable that the residents of Knightdale are excited. There were no major medical services in eastern Wake County. And with now Duke and Rex Healthcare opening a facility later this year, the residents will have options for medical care at home and not have to travel to Raleigh. That bodes well for all of eastern Wake.

Wake County Commissioner Joe Bryan pointed out that now eastern Wake County has access to world class care with physicians from Duke and the UNC Hospitals systems.

And Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen said with quality health care facilities in Knightdale, more health care related businesses could follow, bringing in economic opportunities at a much needed time.