Agenda - September 30, 2008
MayDOG Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 7pm, Maynard Public Library
1. Welcome
2. Request for someone to take notes; request for all to sign the meeting sign-in sheet
3. Introduction to MayDOG
- Structure of the group
- MayDOG board (openings available!)
- Membership drive
- Offer benefits to members through “Friends of MayDOG“?
- Announce-only mailing list (do we need a discussion list/group?)
- Website features (getting notified of new articles)
4. Status of petition drive
- Talking points when discussing the idea with residents and others
- Mass mailing campaign
5. When and how to approach the Board of Selectmen with petition and signatures?
6. Possible next steps if approved
- Fundraising
- Calendar
- Other event ideas - Come Fly With Me, Howl-O-Whine, May events
- Other fundraising ideas (I Love My Dog campaign, t-shirts, bandanas, bumper stickers, etc.)
- Corporate sponsorships
- In-kind donations
- Signage (”Future Site of the ____ Dog Park”?)
- Begin using site
- Publicity
- Other uses for the site - a walking/jogging track, kids area, water feature, ornamental plantings
7. Open discussion and concerns
8. Next meeting
Idea for park access: electronic fob
Here’s an interesting article about a new park in Springfield, MO:
Once dog owners and their dogs register, entry to the park will be through a $25 annual fee for each dog, McGrath said. Weekend visitors will be charged $10.
Entry for owners and their dogs will be controlled at gates with electronic locks, she said.
“They will be issued a fob,” she said. “They will wave it in front of the gate, and the gate will open.”
Dogs and their people will enter an enclosed area where dogs can be unleashed and taken to a 1 1/2-acre area for small and older dogs or a 4-acre area for more active dogs, McGrath said.
How many dogs live in Maynard?
All Maynard dog owners are required to obtain a license from the town for each dog in their household. The names and street addresses of dog license holders are public information, and MayDOG has obtained the list from the town clerk (we’re going to be sending out a mass mailing soon). There are a total of 530 dog-licensed househods in town, and a total of 637 licensed dogs. The true number of dogs and dog owners in town is likely higher, since not everyone bothers to get the license.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s US Pet Ownership Calculator, an average of 37.2% of US households own a dog. There are approximately 10,177 people in Maynard (according to the 2007 American Community Survey of the US Census). If Maynard dog ownership is similar to the rest of US, that means about 1,514 households would own at least one dog, and there would be 2,573 dogs in town.
| Maynard, MA Population, 2007 | 10,177 |
| Avg % of households with a dog in US, 2007 | 37.2% |
| Estimated # of dog-owning households in Maynard | 1,514 |
| Estimated # of dogs in Maynard | 2,573 |
Dog parks improve quality of life
Folks in Tulsa are enthusiastic about their new dog park and say it makes a big improvement in the quality of life of residents:
Just one month after opening, the city’s first off-leash dog park — Joe Station Bark Park, located at 2279 Charles Page Blvd. — has been declared a “tremendous success” by officials and park users alike.
Some weekday evenings Joe Station draws up to 100 people, and officials estimate that more than 1,000 visited over Labor Day weekend.
Joe Station is the result of recycling an unused city-owned youth baseball field into what some say is becoming one of the most popular places to go, said Herb Beattie, chairman of the Tulsa Bark Park Task Force.
Beattie, who led an effort to create a dog park, said members of neighborhood associations near Joe Station are pleased with the dog park and think property values will increase in their respective areas.
He said such parks are a quality-of-life issue for cities.
Dog parks are the new singles bars
This article describing a park in Utah illustrates the benefits of dog parks in terms of building community:
While the park certainly offers an ideal environment for Washington County’s canines, Henderson said it also serves as an excellent venue for dog owners to congregate
When she moved to St. George three years ago, Henderson said she had trouble meeting new people, but things began to change when the St. George Dog Park opened in July, and she has since gained the friendship of many fellow park visitors.
“Where am I going to go? Certainly not to a bar,” She said. “(The park) is important for people and dogs.”
The movie Dog Park (released in 1998) highlighted the singles aspect, so this is certainly nothing new. But in a suburban setting like Maynard there are few venues for meeting new people, so a dog park might be a welcome new gathering place for the community.
Dog parks in big demand among homebuyers
Another reason to support an OLRA in Maynard: the potential for increased property values!
According to this Reuters article from 2007…
Dog parks have become a popular request in new home searches, often tipping the scale in decision-making… having a dog park as a community amenity could shorten the amount of time a home is on the market and potentially increase a property’s value.
Great idea for bag stations
This article on the website of the city of Chandler, AZ discusses an innovative and cheap idea for bag stations for dog parks:
…an improvised dog-waste station consisting of a post, an old mailbox turned upside down, and recycled plastic grocery bags… The materials required for one of these stations — metal post, mailbox and signage — would cost approximately $50. The City would save money even after factoring in the expense of staff time to put the stations together. But the greater savings would be realized in the acquisition of plastic bags – obtaining donations versus purchasing them from a manufacturer.
The key to the entire project would be whether Chandler residents would buy into the program and bring their extra plastic grocery bags to the stations, and in enough quantities to meet the needs of the park. The program was successfully tested at Hoopes Park in the fall of 2004. Signs on the station clearly explained that dog waste is a threat to public health and degrades the quality of the park. Residents responded favorably to the simple message of “leave one, use one” and kept the box supplied with plastic bags.
Article in the Beacon-Villager
MayDOG is featured on the front page of the Beacon-Villager today and prominently on their website. Many thanks to reporter Meghan Kelly for coming out to meet me at the landfill and writing up such a nice story.
Here is the article in PDF format: maydog-bv-article-2008-09-11
Here is the article online.
I will be collecting petition signatures at the Farmer’s Market this Saturday, September 13, from 9-11am if anyone would like to talk with me about the project in person.
Why not call it a “dog park”?
This article explains the rationale for advocating for an off-leash recreation area instead of a “dog park”.
Let’s start by suggesting a different term for dog park. We know it’s an easy term to use, but it often evokes irate comments like: “What do you mean you want to spend my taxes on a bunch of dogs?”; “What about safe playground equipment for my kids?”; “Drinking fountains for dogs, you gotta be kidding!” Play it safe, try using terms like “off-leash” or “multi-use area,” stressing the human component at all times. The acronym-clever COLA people (Citizens for Off-Leash Areas) in Seattle simply call theirs OLAs (a convention we’ll adopt here). In Berkeley, “multi-use area” refers to the multiple legitimate uses, including our leashless dogs, that are allowable in sections of the park. In Indianapolis they refer to their recently inaugurated area as a Canine Companion Zone.
Dog-friendly businesses in the Maynard area
Here are some of the business establishments in Maynard and surrounding towns that are notably dog friendly (well-behaved, leashed dogs are usually welcome):
- Aubuchon Hardware, 51 Main St - (978) 897-2500
- Ace Hardware, 117 Great Rd # 117, Stow - (978) 461-0122
- Pet Source, 117 Great Rd, Stow - (978) 897-9599
- Ray & Sons Cyclery, Main St, Maynard - (978) 897-8121
- Erikson’s Ice Cream, 12 Great Rd, Maynard (free doggie ice cream available on request!)
Do you know of other dog-friendly businesses? Please add them in the comments!
