Report from Board of Selectmen Meeting, March 24, 2009
Three members of MayDOG met with the Maynard Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 7pm. The selectmen had been given a copy of our full proposal in advance, and we gave a brief summary presentation of the highlights during the first 10 minutes. After that, each of the selectmen had a chance to speak and ask questions. Their questions gave us a lot of insight into their concerns, which mainly consist of budget, town liability/exposure, and lack of town resources. They made it pretty clear that nothing is going to happen on this issue in the short term. They suggested that we continue to fundraise and do research on issues such as liability insurance and operating budgets. The landfill site is still a possibility, but they want to investigate the solar farm first and do not feel it is wise to try to present both the solar farm and the dog park proposals to the Dept. of Environmental Protection at the same time. Therefore, it will be a while before we know anything about the landfill site. They recommended we continue to look at other sites, and suggested the Rockland Ave property as one alternative.
The bottom line is that they seem to feel that this is not a high priority for the town and are not convinced of the need for the park. We tried to convey the potential for the park having a positive impact on the community, but it’s not clear that they were convinced.
Here’s what we hope to do next:
- Continue to research potential sites
- Continue to build our membership
- Begin more intensive fundraising and building awareness
Your comments are welcome, either below or by email.
Read comments from another MayDOG board member here.
