Leash Tightened, Not Yanked on Dog Park

 officials and the neighboring SMA Fathers reached a deal to keep a temporary dog park open at the Dolan Center.

The agreement calls for a reduction in park hours, a buffer zone and a six-month extension, instead of the year park proponents initially asked for. The Board of Selectmen approved the extension at Thursday’s meeting.

Beginning March 1, dog owners can access the park Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon.

"We sat down and talked with Father Roache [of SMA], and we've come to a compromise," Parks and Recreation Commission chairman John Maida said. "We will put in a buffer between his fence and ours."

SMA Fathers had  at a Feb. 9 Board of Selectmen meeting with a host of complaints from parking to barking.

The six-month extension, effective March 1, will last until Sept. 1. That could mean dog owners go without a park for a number of months until a permanent park is ready. Recreation officials promised selectmen and the SMA Fathers not to seek another extension.

"There's possibly going to be a gap," Maida said. 

He added the commission is starting the process on gathering plans for a permanent park at the former Striar property on Sprague Street.

Parks and Recreation will lock the temporary park during off-hours, Maida said.

According to selectman Jim MacDonald, town counsel reviewed town zoning laws and found the dog park to be in compliance. An attorney for the SMA Fathers questioned the town's legal standing to open a dog park on the property.

MacDonald thanked Maida and the other recreation officials for reaching an "amicable resolution to a problem."