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
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!
Annual Meeting
MayDOG held its annual meeting on September 17, 2009. We reviewed the events of the past year, affirmed the slate of officers and board members, and discussed goals for the coming year. You can see the presentation from the meeting here.
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.
Notes from meeting with State Rep. Kate Hogan
This meeting was held on February 6, 2009, at 3pm at the Boston Bean House, Maynard, MA.
Attendees:
State Representative Kate Hudson
Lisa Lines, Joannie Gray, and Eric Zeller (MayDOG)
The purpose of this meeting was to introduce MayDOG’s proposal for a park at the former landfill site and ask for a letter of support for the project from Rep. Hogan, to be included in the final package sent to the Board of Selectmen.
Rep. Hogan was presented with a folder containing a brief PowerPoint summary of the proposal, a copy of the full proposal, and our brochure. We went through the slides first, and then answered her questions.
Rep. Hogan is not a dog owner, but has had a dog in the past. She was not familiar with the concept of a dog park and had never been to one before. We mentioned the work that BostonDOG has been doing to bring legal off-leash recreation to the Boston Common and described some of the other dog parks in the state and around the country. We also discussed the precendent that has been set by various parks in the state that were reclaimed from former landfill sites. We discussed our impression that parks sponsored by a municipality without a strong community group involved do not seem to be as successful as parks that have a friends group or other community group.
She was interested to hear what the response had been from various town officials so far. We briefed her on our previous meetings with Sally Bubier of the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Health, and the town administrator/assistant town administrator. From our perspective, it appears that town officials are cautious, but not opposed to the idea. We mentioned that we are eager to bring the proposal to the full Board of Selectmen and have a public hearing.
We discussed the idea that the fenced area could be considered an extension of the leash, and so the off-leash area would not be in violation of the leash law. This would save us having to go to town meeting to amend the by-laws. We also discussed whether town meeting would need to approve the use of the land, or whether the Board of Selectmen/Board of Health could approve of the project without town meeting involvement. These questions are still unanswered at this time.
Rep. Hogan said she was impressed by the proposal and that it sounded like a great project to her. She will review the proposal in detail and talk to town officials about their perspective, and then get back to us with any further questions or comments.
Notes from Meeting with Town Officials, Dec. 9, 2008
Meeting between Maynard town officials and members of the board of MayDOG
December 9, 2008, 3:30pm
Attendees:
Gerry Collins, Health Officer
Cathy O’Dea, Assistant Town Administrator
John Curran, Town Administrator
Lisa Lines, President, MayDOG
Bonnie Winokar, Director, MayDOG
Joannie Gray, Treasurer, MayDOG
Notes:
The purpose of the meeting was to orient the office of the town administrator regarding MayDOG’s proposal to create a dog park in Maynard. The goal was to answer all of the officials’ questions in preparation for bringing the proposal to a meeting of the full Board of Selectmen.
MayDOG presented a brief overview of the group’s organizational structure, mission, and ideas for a dog park. The administrator and assistant administrator asked a number of questions regarding location, financing, and operations. The administrator emphasized that the park will need to be self-sufficient in terms of generating enough revenue to cover the extra mowing and trash removal. The administrator also pointed out that a full proposal will be needed for the Board of Selectmen to review to give them a complete picture of what the group is asking for.
The consensus was that those present would take the following actions:
- The health officer will discuss the idea with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that this type of recreational use will be allowed under their regulations.
- Members of MayDOG will explore possible alternate sites off of Taylor Road and behind 129 Parker Street.
- The MayDOG board will draft a proposal to be reviewed by the Board of Selectmen that will cover the following:
- Introduction
- Overview
- Potential benefits of a dog park to residents and the community
- Description of MayDOG’s organizational structure
- Description of MayDOG’s efforts to date, including the petition signed by over 500 citizens so far
- Location
- Pros and cons for the landfill site
- Other possible sites
- Design
- Size
- Fencing
- Parking
- Trails
- Signage
- Amenities
- Financing
- For establishment of the park, the group will discuss possibilities for private and corporate donations, donations in kind, volunteer labor, fund-raising events, sponsorship, and grants.
- For ongoing maintenance, the group will propose raising the cost of dog licenses for Maynard residents and requiring that users who are residents of other towns purchase a special annual license.
- Oversight and management
- Members of MayDOG will be the peer enforcers of park regulations.
- MayDOG will organize regular clean-up and maintenance activities.
- MayDOG will conduct fundraising for park amenities.
- The dog officers will need to make spot checks for people using the park without appropriate licenses.
- Introduction
- MayDOG will forward a draft of the proposal to the town administrator’s office for review and comment.
Notes - September 30, 2008
MayDOG Meeting Notes
Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 7pm, Maynard Public Library
Attendees: Lisa Lines (chair), Jed Winer (taking notes), Deb Muise, Tracey & David Cox, Fran & Cheryl King, Jim Earley, Paul Alloway, Fred Levy, Selma Burrows, Catherine Phillips, Paul Roy, Jean Landes, Mark Donahue, Liz Llewellyn, Joannie Gray, Mary McCarthy, Peg Brown, Donna L. Smith, Bill & Amy Shew, Eric Zeller
1. Welcome
Attendees introduced themselves and told a little about their dogs and why they were there
2. Introduction to MayDOG
- Structure of the group — incorporated as a nonprofit and registered as a charity with the state of Massachusetts
- MayDOG board (openings available!) — up to 7 board members may be needed, please contact Lisa if interested in serving
- Membership drive
- Membership dues will help support mission of promoting responsible dog ownership and off-leash recreation in Maynard and surrounding communities
- Membership dues paid now will be good through the end of 2009
- Membership dues will be $25/individual, $35/family, $50/business, $100/sustaining
- Donors of $250 or more will be permanently recognized at the eventual location of the park and/or on the website
- Discounts for dues-paying members offered by “Friends of MayDOG” (business members/supporters)
- Memberships and donations can be paid online by credit card or check
- We currently have an announce-only mailing list — does not seem to be a need for a discussion list/group at present
- Website features:
- You can sign up to receive email notifications of new posts
- You can also get new posts by RSS
- You can sign up for our mailing list
- You can link to our online petition
4. Status of petition drive
- Currently have more than 250 signatures — goal is 500 or more (that is the approximate number of dog licenses issued by Maynard last year) — shows a lot of support to be halfway to goal in less than a month!
- Have been collecting signatures on paper at the Farmers’ market, and Eric has collected some around town
- Eric volunteered to coordinate off-line petition signature gathering — call/email him for more info (ezab8, 978-461-2835)
- Talking points when discussing the idea with residents and others
- Unused space — 13 acres
- Could raise property values — something that relocators look for
- Could bring more visitors/shoppers to town from other areas
- For the dog owners, not the dogs
- Especially good for people with less mobility who have a hard time exercising their dogs
- Community building, gathering spot, get to know neighbors, make connections
- Nice amenity
- Acton/Stow gathering spots are not official and the option to take dogs there on or off-leash could be taken away anytime
- Good to have a specific place for dog owners to take their dogs where they won’t bother people who are afraid of/don’t like dogs
5. Discussion of site and options for recreation area
- Site is a capped landfill — a polyvinyl sheet with about a foot of dirt over that (has been settling over the past 20 years)
- Monitored by the EPA/Maynard Board of Health — no known health risks from walking around the area — some concerns about leaching into groundwater supplies, but water has not shown any problems and this would not be an issue for just walking around and using the area anyway
- Fence may need to be installed at grade if installed in the area that has the cap, since cap cannot be disturbed
- Flat area near street was never used as landfill — could town be interested in trying to sell or develop that parcel?
- Abutters include the Maynard Rod & Gun Club, apartments across street, residences several hundred yards in either direction
- Important to let people know that dog parks typically do not have a lot of noise associated with them — definitely less than a typical kid park/ball field
- Liability issues — dog owners would be responsible for the actions of their dogs
- Separate area for smaller/timid dogs
- Should be a multi-use site — this will build more support — could have a track around perimeter, something for kids?
6. Steps for accomplishing this goal
- Talk to Board of Selectmen (BoS) members informally, one-on-one — find a champion
- Get on agenda of a BoS meeting and present petition signatures and ideas (after special town meeting at the end of October)
- Conduct plenty of research beforehand
- Have a list of positives and negatives
- Have a schematic of the area and what we’d like to do
- Be open to considering other sites
- BoS would need to agree-
- Town meeting would need to amend/make exception to leash by-law for that area — 2/3 majority
- Unlikely that we could get town funds, but grants are a possibility (eg, CPA)
7. Possible next steps if approved
- Fundraising
- Calendar: ideas would take time to implement — could not do for 2009, but will be thinking ahead for 2010
- Holiday portraits
- Other event ideas: Come Fly With Me, Howl-O-Whine, May events
- Other fundraising ideas (I Love My Dog campaign, t-shirts, bandannas, bumper stickers, etc.)
- Corporate sponsorships: businesses could buy sections of the fence
- 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
8. Open discussion and concerns
- Park probably would need some rules and maybe a license/tag/membership fee — need to minimize risks will have to be balanced by desire to be inclusive — other parks restrict dogs in heat and/or un-neutered dogs, require children to be over a certain age, and ban people at the first sign of their dog(s) being aggressive
- MayDOG would like to do other things in support of mission, such as getting bag stations around the downtown area and holding educational events
9. Next meeting
- No date set right now — will need to think about what makes sense in terms of keeping momentum going but not burning out early
- Website/email list will be the main channels for communicating next meeting(s)
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
Maynard Board of Health
Had a nice conversation with Gerry Collins at the Board of Health this morning… Here’s what I learned:
- The town bought the land with the purpose of using it for active or passive recreation
- There may be ticks - people would need to be aware
- Gerry is not aware of any other health risks
- Venting of methane may appear to some as a health problem, but it is not
- Land cannot be built on - may pose a problem for putting up a fence
- However, 1 acre was not used for landfill and could be fenced
- Total area is approximately 13.1 acres
- A competing proposal was to use the land to put up solar panels - the selectmen will know more about that
