Notes from Jan. 18 2010 Planning Meeting
Attendees:
Lisa Lines, President
Mark Genest, Vice President
Keith Bernard, Secretary
Alex Landsman
Liz Llewellyn
Members of MayDOG met to discuss goals and potential plans to further the group mission for 2010 and beyond.
Notes:
Status of the proposed (former landfill site) Waltham St. ‘off-leash’ dog park.
- Lisa and Mark met with David Gavin, Maynard’s Board of Selectman Chairman in October 2009, for further clarification of the Board’s objections and ruling. Due to several legal issues, such as Land Closure Use Guidelines, and other concerns, the Town has minimal interest pursuing this issue for near future.
Working towards Maynard area off-leash dog park.
- MayDOG will explore alternatives for potential fenced or wooded site; public/private partnerships where MayDOG provides the oversight and maintenance of a designated or adopted area, such as 129 Parker Street location or Maynard/other local Conservation Commission land
Continue efforts to increase MayDOG’s community visibility and awareness.
- MayDOG-sponsored dog waste bags and dispenser(s) (possibly near the Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT)?)
- Participation in local community events:
- Parades
- Maynard Town-Wide Clean-U
- MaynardFest
Workshop(s)
- Barking
- Agility (possibly at DOGS! Learning Center’s outdoor facility)
The next MayDOG meeting will focus on encouraging member involvement and input to further defining strategies to promote group’s mission and success.
- Brainstorming/Idea Generation: to generate ideas for short-term goals vs. long-term vision
- Alternative off-leash possibilities
- 129 Parker Street
- Other private land potential
- Conservation area potential
Natural Dog Training DVD Giveaway Contest
Natural Dog Training is a style of training that emphasizes working with your dog’s energy to train him or her to achieve various objectives. The fundamentals are discussed in a 2-DVD set called Natural Dog Training: The Fundamentals by Neil Sattin of NaturalDogBlog.com. The set sells for $65, but we’re giving it away FREE to one lucky person!
If you’re interested, please leave a comment on this entry below before 6pm on Saturday, February 6, 2010. One winner will be randomly selected on that date. Be sure to use a valid email address so we can contact you! We won’t use your email address for any reason other than to contact you if you’re a winner.
Edit, 2/8: Congrats to Cheryl, the winner!
News from Acton
Maynard’s next-door neighboring town, Acton, is blessed with lots of conservation lands and a voice-control law (rather than a leash law), not to mention a long-running unfenced, unofficial (and possibly endangered) dog park at the Great Hill conservation and recreation area.
Nevertheless, there are ongoing issues in Acton. The below is a guest post from a MayDOG member who lives in Acton related to the potential development of the Morrison Farm property (see this PDF file for information about the property). MayDOG takes no official position on this issue, but we’re posting the information here to keep the community informed.
Plan to attend an informational meeting in Acton Town Hall, Room 204, at 4pm Wednesday, Feb 3rd. An out of town nonprofit group will present their proposal to farm (i.e., plow up) the remaining open meadows at Morrison Farm, the best off-leash dog walking location in Acton. Off-leash dogs were banned from NARA park in north Acton several years ago, and the town is troubled by heavy dog use at Great Hill playing fields and may ban off-leash dogs there in the future. Many people count on exercising and training their active dogs in Morrison’s meadows, off Concord Road, a secluded but easily accessible 10 acre site by Nashoba Brook. But the town refuses to acknowledge this use and accommodate it. Please attend this important meeting and let the town know it is undemocratic to serve only one interest at Morrison Farm (community garden plots are already located there, why a farm, too?). Morrison Farm belongs to ALL the people. It is unfair of the town to demand license fees from all dog owners while eliminating the best safe places to exercise their dogs.
Planning meeting Jan. 18, 7pm
Mark your calendar for our next planning meeting on Monday, January 18, at 7pm. The meeting will be held at Lisa & Mark’s house at 48 Summer St. in Maynard. The agenda will be to discuss potential plans for the upcoming year. What do we want to accomplish? What kinds of events should we hold? How can we continue to work toward bringing a dog park to Maynard? Looking forward to seeing you there!
DCR and the Fells
Although Maynard is nowhere near the Middlesex Fells, a large park that covers parts of Malden, Medford, Stoneham, Melrose, and Winchester, it’s still great to hear that the state agency that runs it (the Dept. of Conservation & Recreation, or DCR) “is currently looking into the possibility of off-leash areas at a number of state parks and facilities across the Commonwealth, and the Middlesex Fells will certainly be part of that discussion.” The agency spokesperson went on to say, “This agency does appreciate how popular the idea of off-leash areas is among dog owners.”
