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Approved 3/10/09
TOWN OF WELLESLEY
NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
January 9, 2009, 8:00 AM
NRC Office, Lower Level, Town Hall
Attending: Joan Gaughan, Chair, Richard Bashian, Vice Chair, Paul Cramer, Secretary, Neal Seaborn, Heidi Gross, Janet Hartke Bowser, NRC Director.
Guests: Mike Quinn, DPW Parks Assistant Superintendent, Sue Webb, Wellesley Animal Control Officer, Tom Harrington, Wellesley Soccer Club Representative, Mike Jennings, Lacrosse Youth Organization.
Discussion Regarding Dog Control Issues at Perrin Park
Ms. Gaughan stated that the purpose of the meeting today is to gather information from
Town employees who are responsible for maintaining and enforcing the Town’s leash law, as well as from representatives from the soccer and lacrosse youth leagues that use Perrin Park’s playing fields.
Mike Quinn, DPW Parks Assistant Superintendent, stated that in his professional opinion no dogs should be allowed on playing fields or on parkland where there are multiple activities, such as a playground and playing fields. He stated that currently at Perrin the playing fields are overused, and by allowing dogs off-leash, there is further impact on the field and the ability of users to enjoy the park. He encouraged the NRC to continue its leash rule of Perrin due to the on-going conflicts between dogs and playing field and playground users. He stated that dogs have a variety of impacts at Perrin Park, including damage to fields for soccer and lacrosse, and once the fields are in use starting in April, he regularly puts up signs closing the fields when there are wet conditions, but he still sees
large numbers of dog owners allowing their dogs off-leash on the fields and causing serious damage. Mr. Quinn stated that he has worked in several other towns, including Brookline, Walpole and Norfolk, and that none of these towns allowed any dogs on playing fields, since it was an inappropriate use and the dogs were damaging the fields. He stated that the primary damage is from the dogs tearing up the fields and damaging the irrigation systems, and that dog waste and dog urine damages the grass.
Mr. Quinn stated that he and his staff have had bad experiences with rude dog owners at Perrin Park and that he saw a Town contractor bitten by a dog that was out-of-control and off-leash, and that the dog owner was not concerned. Mr. Quinn stated that he would recommend against allowing any off-leash hours at Perrin Park, but if the NRC did permit this, they would have to budget for signage costs to keep dogs off the fields, especially in March and April, when the fields are wet and vulnerable to damage. Mr. Quinn stated that he cannot be responsible for ensuring that dogs stay off of the fields, and that some other system would have to be worked out, whereby signage is posted keeping dogs off of the fields when they are closed. Mr. Quinn stated that he feels strongly that the top priority for the Town’s playing fields is to maintain them in the best conditions possible for use by Town’s children and youth organizations. He stated that the Town has made a significant
investment in improving Perrin Park, with a new irrigation system, new turf and improved maintenance. He stated that the Town has a regular maintenance schedule that includes fertilizing and over seeding and aeration, and if dogs are allowed on the fields regularly, this will interfere with their maintenance work and continue to cause damage to the fields. Ms. Gaughan asked Mr. Quinn if he thought limiting hours of usage by dogs could work and he agreed that such use could work.
Tom Harrington from the Wellesley Youth Soccer organization discussed his concerns about the impact of dogs off-leash on the Perrin playing fields. Mr. Harrington stated that his group’s main concern is maintaining the Town’s playing fields at Perrin, and because there is currently a shortage of playing fields in Town, the importance of maintaining and improving the quality of all fields, including Perrin is an absolute priority. He stated that the quality of the surface of the fields is the most prominent concern, and since the Town made a significant investment in improving the fields at Perrin, it is his opinion that the Town should not allow dogs on the playing fields at Perrin. He stated that based on the current use of soccer and lacrosse at Perrin, the fields do not get enough rest and that allowing a
large number of dogs off-leash causes significant damage to the fields. He stated that all of March and the beginning of April is the critical time to rest the fields at Perrin, but he still sees dogs on the fields in March and April when they are closed, and the dogs tear up the fields by running on them. He sees many holes in the fields from these dogs, and, the DPW and the soccer leagues have to fill in these holes. He stated that currently soccer and all of the sports leagues have to pay $15 per user per sport for the use of the fields, and that he does not think that soccer is getting the best quality field for this contribution and he would recommend that the NRC maintain its dog leash rule at Perrin in order to protect the fields.
Mr. Harrington said that he now sees dogs going to other playing fields, including Schofield, but it has not become the significant problem that it has been at Perrin Park. He stated that the 2 main negative impacts of dogs off-leash at Perrin Park are damaging the quality of the fields and that dogs are interfering when children are playing on the fields. Mr. Harrington said that at the Playing Fields Task Force Meeting in November, that he strongly supported the NRC’s Leash Rule at Perrin. Ms. Gaughan inquired as to Mr. Harrington’s opinion about the NRC allowing some off-leash hours at Perrin. Mr. Harrington stated that he recommends that dogs not be allowed off-leash at Perrin Park or at any other playing field, and that he would recommend that the NRC encourage dog owners to use
non-playing field open space in Town in order to disburse the dog use in Town, rather than allow off-leash dog use on playing fields. Mr. Harrington noted that in some towns, such as Ogunquit, Maine, that dogs are tested as to whether or not they are under the control of their owners, and that they are given a tag only if they pass the test, and maybe this is something that is needed to ensure that dog owners are acting responsibly when they have dogs off-leash. With regard to field use at Perrin, he stated that soccer and lacrosse use the fields beginning in Mid-April and through the second Saturday in November on the following schedule:
· Saturday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM;
· Sundays, 12 noon – 6:oo PM;
· Monday – Friday, from 3 PM until sunset; and
· Wednesdays (elementary school early release day), from 12 noon to sunset.
He stated that from mid-June to August, they do not use the field but he understands that there are recreational clinics that use Perrin, and that the NRC should follow-up with the Recreation Department to get that schedule.
Mike Jennings, a representative from the Lacrosse Youth Organization, felt that the main problem was keeping the dogs off of the fields when they are closed and wet. He voiced concern that the DPW does not put up signs until early spring, when the fields are open for athletic use and that he has seen many dogs off-leash on wet fields, prior to the opening of the fields in mid-April. He stated that this is when the dogs are doing the most damage to the fields, and that some policy and agreement would have to be worked out, if the NRC agreed to some off-leash hours in March and April. He stated that as part of the Playing Fields Task Force, he indicated that they would prefer no dogs on or off-leash on playing fields, but that if the NRC feels that they must accommodate dog owners, that very limited hours should be
allowed, only in the morning and not in the afternoon when the fields are being used by the sports organizations. Mr. Jennings suggested that perhaps the dog users could be on the same e-mail list as the sports organizations, so that Mr. Quinn could email them when the fields are closed, and the dog users would have to be responsible and stay off of the fields when they are closed. Mr. Jennings also had concerns that most of the dogs that he sees off-leash at Perrin Park are not under the control of owners, and that he has seen many dogs interfere with the sport games and practices, when the dogs will not respond to the owners, and the coaches have to take the dogs off of the field. He stated that the more places that dogs have access throughout the Town the better, emphasizing passive recreation open space as the best place for dogs off-leash. He stated that dog owners need to be educated as to what constitutes control over dogs, as many of the dogs that he sees at Perrin
Park are not under the control of their owners. Mr. Jennings said that he would not encourage the dog owners to hire a company to pick up dog waste since this gives dog owners permission to not clean up after their dogs. He said over the past nine years he has seen many dog owners not picking up after their dogs on the Perrin playing fields, and that individuals need to be strongly encouraged if not required to be responsible and to pick up after their dogs.
Ms. Sue Webb, Wellesley’s Animal Control Officer, outlined the history of dog issues at Perrin Park, and stated that she has been working for at least five years to encourage dog owners to be more responsible and to keep their off-leash dogs under control. She stated that in her opinion, the majority of owners who allow their dogs off-leash do not have control of their dogs, and that they have abused the rule in the past and ignored the impact on other park users. She stated that any number of dogs can be “out of control”, and the key is to have responsible owners who are able to control their dogs. She stated that even 2 dogs off-leash can be out of control depending upon their behavior. Ms. Webb stated that since the NRC’s leash law went into effect at Perrin, it has been
much easier to control dogs there, because it is a black and white rule, rather than trying to enforce the Town’s leash law, which allows a dog to be off-leash if it is under the owner’s control. She stated that the Police Department’s Policy regarding control is that the owner needs to be able to call their dog once and have the dog come and stay at the owners side. If the dog owner is unable to call their dog once and have the dog come and stay at the owner’s side after one command, then the dog is not considered under control and subject to a fine. Ms. Webb stated that since the leash law went into effect, the number of dogs off leash has been reduced dramatically. Ms. Webb stated that time frames would work and be easier to enforce. She felt ticketing violators had the support of the majority of people.
The NRC thanked all guests for attending the meeting and for providing their feedback on this matter. The NRC stated that they will be scheduling a public hearing on dog control issues at Perrin Park, and all guests were invited to attend and provide feedback at that time as well.
Adjournment
After a motion was made and seconded, the NRC voted 4 – 0 to adjourn the meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Respectfully submitted:
Janet Hartke Bowser
NRC Director
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